New Balance launched the latest evolution of its flagship 990 model, the 990v7, on Friday and it sold out nearly just as quickly as it arrived. And while select sizes in the sneaker’s debut Kool Gray/Calcium/Light Arctic Gray colorway may still remain from some retailers, it’s hard to say the release was anything but a success.
Accompanying the launch is a star-studded campaign featuring some of the brand’s top ambassadors and signature athletes wearing the new model. Included in the group is Rosalía, who was one of the first people to officially debut the 990v7, along with K-pop star IU, red-hot Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg.
According to New Balance, the diverse campaign cast is intended to represent the “broad cultural reach of the 990 franchise and the ways it continues to resonate across music, sport, entertainment and fashion.”
The made-in-USA 990v7 continues the legacy of the Boston-based sportswear brand’s 990 franchise, which was introduced to the market in 1982. The original 990 was noteworthy for being the first athletic sneaker priced at $100.
The evolution of the New Balance 990 series from the original 990 (far left) to the 990v7 (far right).
It would be nearly two decades until a sequel was introduced with 1998’s 990v2, which reworked the model’s mesh-and-suede build and set the standard for 990 iterations to come. In 2012, New Balance celebrated 30 years of the 990 by introducing the 990v3 and quickly followed it up with the 990v4 in 2016. A sleeker 990v5 model was released in 2019 before the franchise added some bulk with 2022’s 990v6. Now, the 990v7 carries on tradition by further evolving the design.
“The goal was to strike the perfect balance between familiarity and progressiveness,” Jean Khalife, creative design manager for Made in USA and performance running at New Balance, said in a press release. “It had to feel iconic, but also unmistakably new. We refined the upper to create a sleeker, more elevated expression. We kept the essential pigskin suede and breathable mesh combination but introduced premium tumbled leather accents and elevated synthetic suede sway bars, creating something that feels familiar, yet surprising in execution.
The New Balance 990v7 was released Friday for $200 in its debut colorway from newbalance.com and select retailers. For readers who were unable to secure a pair at retail, the model is available on the secondary market from platforms including StockX and Goat. A full look at the campaign can be found in the gallery below.
Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident
