New Balance's Forgotten Dad Shoe Is Rebooted as a Skater
New Balance Numeric is reimagining a forgotten ’90s cross-trainer as a high-tech skate shoe. The New Balance dad shoe to skate shoe pipeline evolves.
New Balance Numeric's 770 is an ode to the brand’s long-retired CXT770 cross-training sneaker, inspired by its sculpted sidewalls and chunky midsole geometry.
However, New Balance’s skateboarding division arms the shoe for a life devoted to kickflips. This is a design built with skate-ready utility.
At the front of the shoe, suede and leather overlays sit atop a thin thermo layer protecting against toe drag, while the heel is wrapped in a supportive frame and a molded PU insole to keep landings cushioned.
NB Numeric understands the crossover language, taking proportions and lines we know from New Balance’s lifestyle canon and translating them into something you can actually have a skate sesh with.
Zooming out, New Balance Numeric has been busy broadening what a “skate shoe” looks like. Historically, skaters have utilized old basketball models like Nuke Dunks or adidas Superstars for skating, and NB played a similar trick with its basketball-inspired 480 skate shoe. However, recently, the skate sub-line has been looking beyond basketball for its footwear.
Earlier this year, Andrew Reynolds transformed the 993 running shoe into a hardy skateboarding model. Similarly, the New Balance 440 skate shoe has a strong resemblance to its old-school 990 runner.
Now with the 770, releasing September 15 via New Balance’s website for $125, the American sportswear giant has found a new way to transform its distinct athletic heritage into half-pipe appropriate footwear.
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