Brand Profile
- Founded
- 1906
- Founder
- William J. Riley
- HQ
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Revenue
- $7.7 billion (2023)
- Employees
- 8,000+
- Category
- Footwear, Apparel, Performance & Lifestyle
- Made in USA
- 70% US-made since 1992
- Creative Director
- Teddy Santis (appointed 2021)
About New Balance
New Balance was founded in 1906 by William J. Riley, an English immigrant who sold arch supports and orthopedic footwear in Boston. The company did not produce a full athletic shoe until 1938, and did not adopt the now-iconic "N" logo until the 1970s. For most of its first century, it was a niche brand for serious runners.
The brand's cultural reinvention began quietly around 2018 and accelerated rapidly through a series of high-profile collaborations with New York designer Teddy Santis's label Aimé Leon Dore. Where legacy brands chased hype drops and celebrity endorsement budgets, New Balance leaned into quality materials, domestic manufacturing, and subtle branding. The result was a brand that streetwear consumers chose to discover rather than being sold to.
In 2021, New Balance appointed Teddy Santis as Creative Director of Made in USA, formalizing the partnership that had already shifted the brand's identity. Revenue hit $7.7 billion in 2023, making it the fastest-growing major footwear brand by percentage that year, outpacing Nike, Adidas, and HOKA in growth rate.
