One of the most fashionable sneakers of the moment, the New Balance 1906R, was created using an original model from the early 2000s and has a contemporary look.
New Balance 1906: The origin of a name
In the 1970s, Jim Davis, New Balance’s new owner, contacted some marketing and advertising experts to determine how the company, which had previously been little more than a local manufacturer for anonymous athletes, should evolve. Jim Davis had recently purchased the brand from the founder’s family, impressed by the quality of its sneakers but unsure of the company’s next steps. Only one of those consultants suggested that he keep the name that had been created six decades earlier: New Balance. That expert was Arthur “Terrry” Heckler, who became his first advisor. He also came up with other ideas that are now associated with the brand, such as putting a N on the trainers instead of the stripes that were previously used, or using numbers rather than names for their models. The company’s philosophy had to be more than just a model; the name they had to remember was the brand.
From then on, each new shoe followed a numerical pattern based on its characteristics. Goodbye, New Balance Trackster; hello, New Balance 320. It was not until a few decades later that named models reappeared.
In the meantime, in 2009, New Balance introduced the 1906, a shoe with a meaning as large as the brand itself, as 1906 is the year New Balance was established.
New Balance 1906R, redesigned by Tetsuya Shono
New Balance is a distinctly American brand, and like other American brands, it experienced a boom in Japan with new interpretations of its style. That is how Tetsuya Shono, the designer, came to New Balance. Shono was America’s link to Japan in 1997, when designers were using their skills in various categories. Japan was enamoured with some of the American hallmarks that had fallen by the wayside and were returning to their Eastern origins.
The New Balance 1906 was released in 2009 and was built with the same midsole as the New Balance 2002, a luxuriously finished “Dad Shoe.” The New Balance 1906 was the more athletic version, with functional details and styling more in keeping with its time.
Tetsuya Shono has been in charge of bringing back the New Balance 1906 and adding an R to its name, New Balance 1906R, redesigned, revamped, recreated. Now with a new midsole that we already know from the New Balance 860 v2.
New Balance 1906R style and tech
The NB1906R combines 2009 styling and 2024 technology. They feature a TPU heel piece for added support, the logo from the 2009 edition, which extends to the laces for a better fit (N Lock System), and a combination of ABZORB, a shock-absorbing material, and N-ergy, which propels the stride.
Contemporary comfort that complements the 2000s running aesthetic. A style that has inspired collaborations with Thisisneverthat, AURALEE, Salehe Bembury, Aimé Leon Dore, and Action Bronson. The New Balance 1906R, a revamped and redesigned version of the New Balance 1906, is gaining popularity due to its ability to adapt to various styles. Its comfort, inherited from its previous life as a runner-specific model, and its contemporary style, updated by the return of early 2000s silhouettes.
The various editions of the New Balance 1906R are available at FOOTDISTRICT.