Did you know that New Balance manufactures more than 4,000,000 pairs of shoes a year? As one of the most popular shoe brands in the world, there’s plenty to know about New Balance shoes. From their origins to the recent damage to their image, there are countless fun facts!
If you’ve been looking into learning more about the New Balance company, we’re here to help. Read on for ten interesting facts about New Balance.
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1. New Balance Was Inspired by Chickens
One of the most interesting facts about New Balance is that the design was inspired by chickens. The inspiration is so deep that the New Balance headquarters is also shaped like a chicken foot!
William J. Riley, the founder of New Balance, saw how the foot of a chicken helped it balance. Using this influence, he developed a three-point contact design for the shoe to mimic a chicken’s foot.
2. Influencing the Modern Running Shoe
Among the many shoes on the market, few have had more influence than New Balance shoes. Many consider the company the brand that spawned the modern running shoe.
Eleanor and Paul Kidd — the daughter and son-in-law of William J. Riley — designed a new shoe for athletes. Manufacturing the shoe in their home, the New Balance Trackster became one of the most influential shoes in the history of athletic wear.
3. Indie Roots
Even though the Trackster had been such a popular launch, athletic wear, in general, was still a low-volume item. Because of its place as a niche item, New Balance stayed a six-person team. Soon after, running became a much more popular form of exercise, helping launch New Balance from an indie shop to the titan we know today.
4. One of the Largest American Manufacturers
Speaking of titans, New Balance has grown so massive that they’re one of the largest in their field. One of the only companies that can compete with them in terms of manufacturing is Nike.
In terms of domestic manufacturing, though, New Balance has kept the majority of its manufacturing in the United States. Its more-than-four-million manufactured pairs a year makes it the biggest domestic shoe manufacturer in the United States. New England alone is home to five major factories!
5. New Balance is Worldwide
Despite having such a huge focus on the United States, New Balance is a worldwide company. Most nations have the shoes somewhere, whether it be as a popular running shoe or a more casual fashion statement. No matter what shoe model you’re looking for, you can always look online or in person to check it out.
As a brand, New Balance employs nearly ten thousand employees around the world. The company sells its sneakers and athletic apparel in roughly 120 companies across the world. In Great Britain, New Balance has their home as a manufacturer, selling the shoes across the rest of Europe from there.
6. A Focus on Social Responsibility
When most people think of a sneaker store or athletic wear brand, sweatshops are unfortunately quick to come to mind. Thankfully, New Balance doesn’t seem to be one of the many companies that focus on cheap labor. With a focus on social responsibility and a safe working place for their manufacturing, New Balance is known as a company that puts people first.
New Balance has a number of initiatives both global and domestic. Issues like sustainability, women’s rights, and a number of different environmental stewardship programs fall under New Balance’s purview. They’re a fantastic company to support if you have an ideology that focuses on dignified labor
7. Still a Private Organization
Despite their massive popularity, New Balance remains a private organization as they always have. They sell no stocks in the open market like other companies such as Nike or Adidas. Because of this, those passionate about the brand are unable to purchase shares in the company.
However, this also gives the company much more freedom to do as they wish rather than pleasing majority holders. The company is one of the largest mega-corporations that isn’t also a publicly-traded company. Forbes listed New Balance as the 137th biggest privately held company in 2020.
8. Numbered Models
One of the things that New Balance has become known for is their numbering system. Specific model numbers are given to represent different qualities. These numbers can help you to know the stability of the shoe, the traction, or the comfort level of the shoe.
The New Balance 320 was one of the most popular shoes to release under the system in 1976. Considered one of the most influential shoes of all time, the sneaker was also given the first to bear the company’s logo.
9. Recent Tarnishing of the Image
Unfortunately, New Balance has been in hot water in recent years due to political discourse. After prominent members of the company came out in support of some policies of then-President-Elect Donald Trump. Praising an economic decision, many took this as a wholesale support of the candidate, incensing political arguments.
As a result, many began to take their business elsewhere. Attempts to salvage the situation didn’t make things much better, and New Balance took quite the hit to their public relations off of the politicizing. Many still today associate New Balance with certain political views.
10. Second Only to One
Given its classification as a “specialty running brand,” New Balance stands fiercely among its competition. There’s only one company that stands above New Balance.
Nike remains the titan in most shoe markets. Brooks also takes the lead in specialty running brands. Behind Brooks, New Balance is the second-largest specialty running brand with 14% of the world market share.
Jogging On
New Balance remains one of the largest, most recognizable brands for good reason. Their comfortable, easy-to-identify shoes make the New Balance company one of the most beloved in athletic wear. New Balance sneakers have a home in any wardrobe across the world.
If you’d like to learn more about athletic wear or more New Balance facts, feel free to browse our website for more information.
