New Balance's Least Stylish Dad Shoe Is Finally Fresh
New Balance's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 is not the sort of shoe we typically cover here on Highsnobiety dot com. It's classically uncool, an appreciably normal-looking running sneaker made of technical materials and almost entirely on the opposite end of the footwear hype spectrum.
But I appreciate an underdog story and I REALLY appreciate New Balance kicking things up a notch by giving the Fresh Foam Arishi v4, a shoe with a real mouthful of a title, a subtly delicious upgrade that makes it genuinely fantastic.
Quietly revealed on New Balance's website late in May 2024 for the wildly affordable price of $75, New Balance's nubuck Fresh Foam Arishi v4 sneaker is a masterclass in understated elegance, versatility, and subtle design cues.
This new version of the NB Fresh Foam Arishi eschews an all-mesh upper in favor of a blend of technical and organic textiles, coming together in a complete package that's remarkably tasteful. If ever you looked up "crossover running shoe" in an encyclopedia, you ought to see a photo of this bad boy.
Thing is, New Balance, king of dad shoes, is really the only sportswear giant perfecting the science of the stylishly elderly sneaker. Sure, its sneaker competitors take stabs at this specific style of shoe but no one does a tremendously anti-trend cool sneaker like New Balance.
Consider not only how New Balance transformed the old still-available Arishi — the new one is a massively stylish upgrade — but also how the Fresh Foam 1080, another classically tech-first silhouette, has been given a beautiful refresh as of late, if only for special occasions.
Great collaborations are key, too, (even the humble 574 got another recent and deserved update).
Look to how New Balance has brought back and beautified its 860 v2 sneaker as a case study for reintroducing the world to an old-school dad shoe that has been barely changed and still looks better than ever.
The Fresh Foam Arishi v4 is yet another impressively understated feather in New Balance's cap. That it's such an understated win is only a testament to New Balance's humble winning streak.
