In Its Fashion Era, New Balance's Barely-There Shoes Have Never Looked Better
New Balance's Minimus shoes are fashion bois now. In 2024, the New Balance line shifted from strictly low-to-the-ground performance shoes to barely-there fashionable sneakers. A few Minimus models have received the luxury fashion touch, but perhaps the biggest and most stylish of them all is the New Balance Minimus Trail.
The rugged trail model, also called the MT10, got two wonderfully colorway spins from Ice Studios and Action Bronson, two of New Balance's heavy hitters. But that wasn't the end of the model's fashion era. For 2025, New Balance ups the ante on the Minimus Trail's prettification.
The rugged "barefoot" New Balance shoes recently surfaced in a "Clay Ash" colorway, basically a sage green scheme with hints of orange. The spring-ish color scheme topped the shoe's signature breathable meshy uppers, plus its incredibly rugged sole packing on plenty of tread (it even goes all the way to the toes).
Although designed to have low soles, the New Balance Minimus shoes aren't entirely without cushioning. The Minimus Trail sneakers, in particular, boasts foam materials in its soles, offering comfy support whether blazing crunchy terrains or the concrete on the way to that cutesy coffee shop down the street.
The New Balance Minimus Trail sneaker has also appeared in a nice stealthy black iteration, widely available at stores like Slam Jam and Naked. On the other hand, the "Clay Ash" sneaker is a bit harder to find, currently up for grabs at a few international New Balance stores and Zappos.
Hopefully we'll start to see more of the "Clay Ash" pairs roll in during the season.
Oh, please make it so, New Balance.
