A Wonderful Workwear Makeover for New Balance’s “Dunk” Skate Shoe
The New Balance 480 is a heritage basketball shoe engineered into a hardwearing skateboarding model. Soundly approved by skaters of all levels and loved by sneakerheads alike, this silhouette is just as timeless as skateboarding itself.
Everything starts with a reinforced toe cap and layered paneling to add toughness, while a classic gum outsole provides enhanced grip and essential board feel. Meanwhile, midsole cushioning promises to keep landings smooth, making those stair sets and ledges a little more forgiving. (As I said, it's a properly engineered skate shoe.)
For its newest release, the New Balance Numeric 480 is reimagined in a deep mustard color with gloriously textured suede and contrasting black accents that turn the low-top skate shoe into a stylish all-day sneaker.
These basketball-sneakers-turned-skate shoes are the work of New Balance Numeric, a skate-focused diffusion line that brought the 480 back from the archives last year as part of a greater project of reissuing old skate sneakers as modern best-sellers.
Founded 12 years ago in Long Beach, on the other side of North America from its parent company’s Boston headquarters, New Balance Numeric has built a reputation for technical innovation and a stacked roster of skaters ranging from legends to young guns, including Jamie Foy, Thiago Lemos, and Brandon Westgate.
With skate icon Andrew Reynolds set to drop his own signature NB Numeric model later this year, 2025 is shaping up to be a defining year for the brand.
The 480’s modern transformation mirrors that of the Nike Dunk, another basketball-born silhouette that was adopted by skaters before becoming a popular shoe for all.
The New Balance's 480 "Workwear" colorway , available on New Balance's web store for $100, is proof that classics don’t fade but they do evolve.
And with its vintage appeal, updated durability, and skate-ready tweaks, the 480 cements New Balance’s growing presence in the skateboarding world while keeping one foot firmly planted in its sportswear heritage.
