New Balance, USA

01

Images

—01. New Balance factory in Skowhegan, Maine.

Words

Earlier this year we had the opportunity to visit New Balance's Maine factory. Not only did we get to see the process of the trainers being made, but Owen, Ken and myself got to join the STS33 line on the top floor of the Skowhegan factory. We each got the chance to stitch down a couple of uppers and line up a few N's on the 996 model that was in production. The people at New Balance were great, and the 2-day experience turned out to be one of the best trips we've taken. I was really happy with the final article too. These are a few extra shots I took while Ken was photographing the factory.

—New Balance Feature, Inventory Issue 02

Click to read more ...

Coming Soon: INVENTORY 02 Spring–Summer 2010

01

Details

—01. Both covers will be available next week.

Words

It’s been a very compact and exciting spring so far this year as we have new developments in all aspects of Inventory, but our main focus has been the production of our second issue of the magazine. Finally our Spring–Summer 2010 issue is going to the printers and we are excited to present the two covers for the upcoming offering. We feel the new issue not only met the standard of our initial launch but perhaps exceeded it with a more diverse range of content, some great new contributors and an additional 30 pages. Featured in our spring issue are Margaret Howell, The Real McCoy’s, Beams, White Mountaineering, Our Legacy, Wm. J. Mills & Co., Unis, New Balance and several other fascinating people, brands and stories. The issue will be available to pre-order through the Inventory Stockroom next week and will be shipping and hitting shelves in early/mid-May.

—Inventory Stockroom

New Balance 993

I've been blogging a fair bit of New Balance lately which is probably directly related to wearing a lot of new Balance lately. I recently endured a bad sprain on my ankle and having foot problems due to a couple clashes on the soccer pitch and I have had a hard time walking around in some of my leather soled footwear. Fortunately I recently picked up a fresh pair of grey suede 993s and they've been my saving grace. I personally really like the look with fatigue pants, cords or chinos, so I've had no problem wearing them every day for the last week. They are definitely some of the comfiest trainers for walking around town or watching soccer from the sideline.

Click to read more ...

New Balance x Beams 1500

This is one of those collaborations that feels unsurprisingly surprising, or maybe the other way around, I'm not sure. The two large companies that are Beams and New Balance have come together to create one of the most simple shoes released this spring. A lot of New Balance's collaborative efforts have been that of a more colorful manner and it took the masterful eye of the Japanese to pair down one of our favorite models by the American shoe maker. It's very difficult to go wrong with a grey suede trainer from New Balance, but it has been even more difficult to find the 1500 in this simple colorway. Classics like the 993 and now 996 are generally available, but Beams have done a nice job with one of the more playful models by New Balance. The odd thing from my perspective is that Beams is a huge champion of US made products, New Balance also tries to make as much as they can domestically and yet the 1500 is not an American made sneaker. While there are a lot of issues from materials to pricing that make it possible, it would have been nice to completely round out an otherwise great collaboration by having it made near by - even if it's not available anywhere close. — News via Hypebeast

Click to read more ...

Look | Running Around

It feels like we've been doing a lot of running around these days. Whether it's to the post office, furniture stores, showrooms or wherever else, comfort is key for the long days. It starts with footwear for me because when my feet are happy, I'm usually happy (and not in pain). The shoes also set the tone for the rest of your ensemble a lot of the time. There's nothing ground breaking in this outfit, but I've been sporting variations of the same thing all week long. Any number of chambrays, colours of corduroy or olive coloured jackets seems to work just fine.

Click to read more ...

New Balance M998

The M998 by New Balance might be my new favorite model from the American sneaker maker. It's fairly commonly known now that New Balance is one of the few companies making great quality products in the USA and the United Kingdom. While I generally find most of the good looking models have come from the UK recently, like the 1500 - the Japanese market has clung onto some of the more technical looking US made trainers. With a forward moving development department, the M998 has shaped up to be a front runner from the range made in the USA. This spring New Balance are showing a subtle theme titled "grey is beautiful" along with accents including red, white and blue - which are of course a reference to the American heritage. The shoes are made in Skowkegan, Maine and after seeing a very clean grey version released in Japan last year, I think this model could do fairly well in the future. I don't expect the same person to loves their Quoddy mocs to be able to love these at the same time, but again we can see what some of the Japanese stylists, shops and brands have done with the New Balance brand and the sort of interesting and unexpected looks you can make work with a shoe like this. There is definitely a place for a more technical sneaker in some of the outfits I like to wear and I think whether it's the LunarWood or the M998 - it's a great product that can look really nice if pieced together well. —

Click to read more ...

New Balance Olive 420

I've been paying more and more attention to New Balance lately as it's been interesting to see some of the collaborations and models from both the UK and the USA. This pair however isn't made in the USA, the UK nor is an exciting collaboration - it's just ta classic 420 in a great colour combination. I really love the olive green with grey and the touch of the subdued red on the tongue and heel. I think if these were to get a gum sole transplanted onto them I would make a point of hunting them down from one of the WP Lavori shops in Italy - where this pair is currently available. I think this color use is very sharp and I would love to implement it onto a 1500 or a version of the 998 coming this spring.

Click to read more ...

Nonnative x New Balance H170

New Balance has quite an interesting history and story as a brand, but I feel they have missed the mark in North America more often than not. While their functional running shoes are highly praised for good reason, the successful casual models and co-branded products seem to be limited to Europe and Asia. I've always liked their hiking shoes and this fall Nonnative put together one of my favorite takes on their H170. The sole has been given a vintage treatment which looks perfect with the two shades of brown. Topped with with a subtle red hit, these are definitely a pair of New Balance's I would wear this fall.

Click to read more ...