The Continuing Chronicles of New Balance’s Surprisingly Slick Sneaker-Loafer
The wait for New Balance’s 1906L loafer was a long one, but now, finally, a hattrick of releases has arrived for the sneaker-loafer hybrid (and they all immediately sold out).
Exactly seven months after the shoe first appeared on the runway, a silver-hued variation made its way onto shop floors, and it opened up the floodgates: Junya Watanabe’s collaborative version soon followed, then an all-black pair, and now it’s time for a navy and grey rendition.
New Balance’s loaferized 1906 sneaker gets its first two-tone look, dressed in thick dark indigo mesh with gray pebbled leather overlays. Yes, the hybrid footwear agenda pushes on.
To use its official name, this is the New Balance 1906L Magnet and it is set to be released on December 11, available from the Highsnobiety Shop.
“When Lani [Perry, Senior Product Manager at New Balance] and I were observing the loafer trend, we felt like it was a natural evolution for us as a brand… We talked a lot about the luxury fashion space and how there is no longer a hard line between sports and luxury,” says Charlotte Lee, Senior Footwear Designer at New Balance, about the New Balance 1906L in a statement.
“Most of the product creation process was sample-based, starting with a taped-last to ensure the 1906R pattern was correctly represented within a loafer form. There was no need for a new blueprint for this model as it was using the existing sole of the 1906 sneaker.”
One part sporty, one part formal, this shoe is the true embodiment of smart-casual dressing. It has all the techy specs of New Balance’s old-school running shoe, manipulated into the shape of a dressy loafer.
