Grey Days by New Balance: A Month-Long Celebration of the Iconic Colorway
New Balance is dedicating the entire month of May to celebrating its iconic hue: grey. Through exclusive launches, events, and cultural tributes, the brand is shining a spotlight on the color that has defined its identity since the 1980s.
Long associated with less flattering connotations: sadness, old age, or even dirt, grey has evolved over the centuries to gain new symbolic weight. Starting in the 18th century, it began to represent restraint, intelligence, and discipline, becoming the color of uniforms, knowledge, and more recently, technology. In contemporary imagination, grey suggests both neutrality and mystery: a shadowy in-between, neither black nor white, where anything is possible. It’s precisely this richness of nuance and meaning that New Balance has drawn from since the 1980s, making grey its emblematic color.
Grey, signature color
As early as the 1980s, New Balance chose grey to dress its running shoes. A bold decision at a time when flashy colors were all the rage. In terms of materials, the brand opted for leather and suede, while synthetics were on the rise, ensuring long-lasting durability for its sneakers. With their understated style, New Balance shoes blended seamlessly into the urban landscape.
More than just a color, grey has become a true symbol of the brand, synonymous with quality, durability, and timelessness. Since then, it has remained a common thread across all New Balance lines, from performance to lifestyle.
Grey Days’ highlights
For this 2025 edition, New Balance is pulling out all the stops. On May 1, the brand opened its space
« Grey Shop » For this 2025 edition, New Balance is pulling out all the stops. On May 1, the brand opened its online and in-store space, presenting a selection of 21 shoe models and 11 garments in various shades of gray. These include models 740, 9060, 1000, T500 and Fresh Foam X 1080v14, as well as timeless sportswear pieces.
On May 14, the spotlight is on the 1906 Loafer—a hybrid model that reimagines the classic loafer with the aesthetic of a modern sneaker. Highly sought-after since its 2024 debut, this design reflects the brand’s desire to blur the lines between tradition and innovation. Then, on May 22, two archive-inspired models make their return: ABZORB 2010, a tribute to 2000-era running shoes, and the 471, a modern reinterpretation of 1970s running silhouettes.
On May 26, the Numeric range, dedicated to skateboarding, welcomes the Numeric 933. Designed in collaboration with professional skateboarder Andrew Reynolds, this pair combines groundbreaking technology with nods to the iconic skateboard, creating a release highly anticipated by fans of the genre.
Finally, May 29 marks the grand return of the legendary 1300JP. Produced only once every five years, these “Made in USA” sneakers are renowned for their rarity, craftsmanship, and cult status within sneaker culture.
Beyond the reissues, the brand will open a pop-up in Brussels on May 24 and 25, where the public can both discover selected products and enjoy a tasting experience centered around its signature color. At the same time in Dubai, a roundtable will bring together professionals from fashion, architecture, and design to discuss the color grey, in the spirit of Michel Pastoureau, the renowned color theorist.
New Balance on screen
Alongside these many events, New Balance is unveiling a short film titled “Grey Days,” released on May 10. Comprising seven vignettes, the film traces the brand’s history and its signature hue through a variety of perspectives. This ambitious artistic project, created in collaboration with several artists, blends archival footage, vintage animation, and portraiture.
Grey Days is a true celebration for New Balance, a bold affirmation of its heritage, reimagined for the modern era. Far from dull, grey emerges as a powerful, meaningful color. A silent icon finally getting its moment in the spotlight.
Article de Julie Boone.
