The pair of sneakers that Steve Jobs donned so graciously at the Apple Keynote Address for the life-changing first-ever iPhone in 2007 may be more famous than Steve Jobs, himself. Nevertheless, the famous New Balance 992 sneakers, made famous by Steve Jobs and New Balance, have piqued the curiosity of many fashion industry experts along with the rest of the whole United States now. With a ton of New Balance 992 collaboration efforts from fashion designers, a Made in the USA collection from New Balance creative director, Teddy Santis, and exclusives at select retailer sites there are so many sneaker options you are going to want to know about. So, go ahead and get comfortable and check this thing out!
The New Balance 992 Sneaker
First, we have the facts about the release of the New Balance 992 sneaker. On any website, you can find a monotonous list of release dates and a standard rundown of the silhouette with the bare minimum to barely sell you on the footwear they provide through an affiliate program. Well, here at Sneaker Guru, you can get all the up close and personal information with colorful details of the New Balance 992 shoe design. We greatly appreciate a good sneaker and a fabulous fashion designer; we want to enable you so that you can paint an image of the whole thing in your mind. By the time we’re done here, you’ll understand the shoe’s creation and how they paid homage and made killer collaboration remixes with this sneaker.
New Balance Midsole Abzorb Technology
Now, let’s get started with the release of the sneaker into the wild sneaker world. The New Balance 992 sneaker was warmly welcomed into the sneaker world in 2006. Finally, the footwear that even professional athletes are in love with got closer to the on-foot reviews and a fashion-driven collaboration, one after another. The collaboration train is still a-chugging right on along carrying with it new colorways and fashion inspiration. Upon the original sneaker release, the pair was sold at a higher price because of the introduction of the Abzorb midsole technology. The Abzorb midsole of the shoe contains a shock absorption technology. The advanced technology in turn provides superior cushioning, stability, and the ultimate comfort for a perfect fit for everyday wear. And, with 3 years invested in the creation of the technology, we’d say it’s been worth every minute of it.
The Standard New Balance 992 Silhouette
The original design of the New Balance 992 sneaker isn’t a far cry from its predecessor, the New Balance 991 sneaker. Although they’re similar, the New Balance 992 is a much sportier “dad shoe” than the New Balance 991. Johnathan Bacon hit a gold mine when he turned in his design to New Balance. Little did he know that he and the late Steve Jobs would enjoy the celebration of the game-changing footwear. The suede and mesh uppers of the New Balance 992 accompanied the “N” logo on both lateral panels puffed up but not oversized like in the New Balance 327 sneaker. The Abzorb midsole is in a white rubber outsole and also makes your foot more comfortable by cushioning the big toe and heel. The tongue and collar of the shoe are entirely a mix of mesh and suede. Although the New Balance 992 shoe was like the sportier younger brother, the New Balance 991 sneaker silhouette is still a completely adored pair of sneakers in the sneaker world. Now that we have a pretty good idea of the standard New Balance 992 silhouette, let’s see how the fashion industry experts did their thing in each unique collaboration, and how the DTLR retailer sites are paying homage with an exclusive sneaker release, or two.
New Balance 992 Discontinued?!
There seems to be a great deal of confusion among sneakerheads and dad shoe lovers alike surrounding the discontinued 2006 New Balance 992 sneaker model. While the 992 sneakers came out with new advanced features with the Abzorb SBS midsole, they also had a hefty price tag. In some preceding failed sneaker release dates, the sneaker fails and fails miserably. However, this wasn’t the case with the 992 sneaker model. In fact, before the discontinuation of the New Balance 992, the shoe was wildly popular! If you are a longtime sneakerhead, you may already remember the sneaker being discontinued way back in 2010. Either way, almost instantly it seems, the New Balance 992 was back, although it’s actually been a decade-long hiatus. Nevertheless, the New Balance 992 came back in 2020 for the most innovative and inspired retro runs and collaboration efforts yet!
A Paid Homage, Collaborations, and New Balance In-House Designs
It does already seem like there’s been a lot of teasing of the hottest sneaker designs thus far, so we’ll go easy on the introductions for now. It’s an amazing thing to see the hottest stars in the fashion industry going all-in on, not just the collaboration efforts of this New Balance 992 sneaker, but the New Balance vault has been opened, and out came the hottest fashion designer’s own spins on all the retro runners. On top of the success of the reimagined runners, New Balance even enlisted the help of a few close friends to recreate the first low-top basketball sneaker the P550. That sneaker never got its hay-day in the late 80s, but in 2020 and beyond, the New Balance 550 sneaker has been uber-famous since its conception. The New Balance 992 is getting the same love, but this retro run was always loved, thanks to Steve Jobs (may he rest in peace). Now you get to see all the collaboration efforts, an homage that’s being paid, and some of the most wildly popular and successful all-New Balance designs all in one place. It must be your lucky day!
The Paying Homage to a Thing and a Place at DTLR
If you go into a local mall or a town center, you’ll most likely discover a DTLR store. In case you live in a small town or under a rock, there are many retailer sites like DTRL that can deliver your new, New Balance sneaker presents. At the DTLR store, whether you go to the store or you stay home and use the website, you’ll discover a whole sneaker world, and apparel and accessories. With about one hundred million store types like DTLR, it’s likely to find some of the New Balance goodies for which you’re searching elsewhere. It’s also likely that you’ll find other brands like Adidas. North Face, and some Chuck Taylors at a DTLR store or a similar store. So, what sets DTRL apart? Well, for one, DTRL is known for the exclusive footwear, apparel, and accessories they carry. You can usually expect to get exclusive discounts, word on new releases, and goodies with purchases at the DTLR store or website. Also, what is setting the DTLR store and website apart right now is the New Balance sneaker collection that’s paying homage to the New Balance Discover and Celebrate sneaker with the collaboration here.
The “DC” Sneaker Design From DTRL and New Balance
DTLR is discovering and celebrating the new, New Balance Discover and Celebrate sneaker and paying homage to Washington DC. Whether the Washington Nationals baseball team is a great reason to discover and celebrate Washington DC or maybe it’s the local cuisine like The Baked Joint. Either way, paying homage to a great district is what DTLR and New Balance came to do. And they really got a fashion industry favorite here. The presentation of the lifestyle sneaker comes at a greyscale all over the synthetic and mesh upper with black overlays and splashes of red-orange on the throat, heel, and right above the toe box, or below the laces. The grey mudguard is accompanied by the other shades of grey of the greyscale uppers. The “N” logo is in black and outlined with grey on both sidewalls. The black hue seems uninterrupted across the sidewalls across the tongue, which has grey branding on it. At the top of the eye, the row is a double eye looping so that it looks like it says DC. The white and black midsole is a color block with the design is complete with the red-orange under the exposed heel foam and the black sole of the shoe. Do you want more? We’ve got it!
The more colorful colorways of red, blue, yellow and mostly I’m sure you can guess. You guessed it! The all-over hue of the shoe is grey! The blue and grey suede and grey mesh uppers bear the “N” logo on each sidewall in a pale grey or almost white suede. The grey suede of the mudguard wraps around to the blue suede of the heel above the all-white midsole. The look is complete with a black sole and mustard yellow laces. The exclusive sneaker pays homage to the power of unity found in American universities’ sports teams among the athletes and was created by DTLR’s own designer, June Sanders. Upon the release of the Varsity sneaker it sold for an MSRP of $185, but it’s a very popular shoe and demand has blown up.
J Crew Is Paying Homage Too
So, it’s not a DTRL exclusive, but J Crew is a fashion industry mainstay. Aside from the upscale menswear that J Crew is known for, fashion-forward footwear is now in the limelight. What’s really warranted is to notice the collaboration with New Balance. The unearthing the role of the Made in the USA collection, fashion experts at J Crew have remade and reimagined the New Balance 1400 and the 2002R. Now, these same fashion designers are getting on with a new collaboration that pays homage to New York City, their home. In the spirit of the New York subway station and the state flag, the royal blue, brown, orange, and the accents of grey colorways are a representation of the most legendary of New York. The royal blue mesh overlays atop mesh of the same hue to meet the orange and grey “N” logo on each sidewall. The brown suede mudguard surrounds the entire lower half of the sneaker to the white midsole that has a splash of blue and grey around the heightened heel and orange under the toe box. New York City is an iconic and legendary city, J Crew thoughtfully planned out the well-paid homage. The Made in the USA line is headed by Teddy Santis whose first fashion baby, Aime Lean Dore is based in Queens, New York, so it makes good sense that Teddy Santis wanted to get in on this collaboration, too.
Collaboration, Anyone?
Now, of course, the last three instances of paid homage to footwear fashion were indeed in the spirit of collaboration. However, the exclusives we’ve shared so far special editions, whereas the collaboration efforts to follow are made for the love of it all, more than anything. The New Balance 992 sneaker collaboration “team” are all seasoned collaborative teammates for New Balance who’ve proven in shoes, that they know what to do, and they do it well. For starters, Todd Snyder from Men’s Wearhouse is back to collaborate his heart out on a 10th Anniversary edit of the 992 sneaker. Then, Joe Freshgoods is back with a brand new narrative and collection to impart his wisdom with the “No Emotion is Emotion”. Really, with New Balance 992 sneaker show, there are so many great proponents, like Concepts with their ode to the “Kiwi Queen”, Frieda Rapoport Caplan in the “Low Hanging Fruit” storytelling. Then Parisian Paperboy’s collaboration with New Balance proves to be a tasteful and tasty fried egg that follows the New Balance 801 sneaker named for its tuna tataki sandwich which you can learn about at Sneaker Freaker. Following the storytelling the JJJ Jound, YCMC “rewind” to the 1990s with their version of events in a sneaker, the $735 pair from the Studio FY7, and the $400 plus pair from Damari Sevile are just scratching the sneaker surface!
Levi’s X New Balance 992 Vintage Grey
The upcycled and authentic material for this retro footwear is brought to you from New Balance and Levi’s Authentic Denim. The vintage grey upper is a patchwork of grey hairy suede and upcycled black denim. The N logo is a grey reflective branding atop grey hairy suede. You certainly will notice the co-branding on the tongue, a “Levi’s for Feet” graphic insert, and custom packaging with in-store or retailer sites for all sneaker purchases. The Abzorb SBS tech will keep every foot wearing the shoe comfortable with ample cushioning and added stability.
Todd Snyder X New Balance 10th Anniversary Edition 992 Sneaker
The New York-based formal to the business-casual menswear fashion industry guru, Todd Snyder, just can’t stay away from New Balance it seems. Todd has collaborated with New Balance to dress up the 57/40 sneaker, the 327 shoe, and the 990v3 footwear. Now, Todd Snyder has come to work with New Balance once again for the 992 sneaker, although it’s not likely this collaboration will be the last. The New Balance 992 does get quite the dress-up from the fashion-forward designer. The genuine suede grey overlays atop grey mesh underlays start the shoe design with New Balance heritage color for the colorway. The white, tan, and grey colorway are a more minimalist fashion than his other colorways. On both sidewalls, the “N” logo lies on top of suede and is a grey reflective leather outlined in white. The tan premium leather accents appear on the back of the collar and separate the eye rows. Todd Snyder may have done this as a nod to the retro eye row of the 1970s fashion statements found in the New Balance 574 sneaker design. The all-mesh tongue is interrupted with a grey suede overlay atop tan leather underlay bearing the branding “USA” for the Made in the USA line directed by Teddy Santis. Then, on the heel, a synthetic underlay has “2021” in the text above the grey and white color block midsole with a New Balance branding.
Joe Freshgoods X New Balance “No Emotion is Emotion” Collaboration
We all know and adore Joe! Joe Freshgoods has become a household name and is a king in the sneaker world. We know and love his relentless fight for social equality and racial justice, but we also love his fashion sense. After the mad dash for all the retail sites and any brick and mortar store like DTLR for the “Conversations Amongst Us” collection. There are still purchases being made for the creamy dream of a sneaker to this day. Among his other storytelling and thought-provoking sneaker collections, the 992 sneaker collaboration comes with a “No Emotion is Emotion” conversation and action pack. You hold the conversation, then you take action to forward a loving movement. Don’t Be Mad x 992 ‘Anatomy of a Heart’ design features a burgundy mesh base with pink and fuchsia suede overlays and tan leather detailing for an appealing sneaker. The black and white color block midsole breaks up all the similarities in the upper nicely. The sneaker was released just in time for Valentine’s Day 2020 and is still making big waves on retailer sites like StockX.
The In-House New Balance Sneakers & MADE in the USA by Teddy Santis
After all the ways we can see a collaboration unfold, let’s take a look at in-house fashion. The MADE or the Made in the USA line of shoe designs are brought to you from Teddy Santis. Teddy Santis is first known for his Queens, New York high fashion label Aime Leon Dore. Then second, he’s known to be the new creative director for the Made in the USA line at New Balance. Next, the other fashion designers at New Balance have plenty to go on to create some unique New Balance 992 sneakers, too. So, let’s see what they’d come up with.
6 In-House New Balance Designs of High Fashion
The “in-house” fashion designs for the New Balance 992 sneakers are just as popular as any collaboration and are in high demand. Besides that technically the MADE sneaker designs by Teddy Santis are also “in-house” fashion designs. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, the six pairs of sneakers are coming right up.
The first one is a greyscale 992 sneaker. The sneaker design is a light grey hued mesh underneath a mid-tone grey suede and dark grey synthetic detailed upper. The sidewalls are adorned with a reflective “N” logo in grey and outlined in white. The all-grey suede mudguard sits on top of the white and grey color block midsole and the two features meet at the heel with a reflective “new balance” branding and the release year is in text as an underlay on the upper heel below the collar. The tongue has further branding by the “USA” text on the mesh and suede tongue. If this sounds familiar at all it’s because this is the design that Jonathan Bacon found wild success in 2006. The original New Balance 992 was released for New Balance’s 100th anniversary and the MRSP then was set at $175. The re-issue release was in March 2020 for the same price as before.
Next up, the New Balance 992 MADE [in the USA] in the white silver colorways is exactly as it reads. The sneaker by Teddy Santis is clean and crisp to sum it up in a feeling. The white synthetic upper has silver mesh detailing on the tongue and the heel. The “N” logo can be found on both sidewalls as a reflective silver emblem on the white synthetic upper quarter panel. There are other instances of branding such as on the tongue “new balance” in silver and on the collar the shoe model 992 is detailed on silver synthetic material. The white midsole has splashes of silver in a clear tone and the black sole is standard for the New Balance 992 sneaker models. The release of the sneaker into the sneaker world happened in November 2021 and was priced at $175 at the time of the initial release.
Now, this New Balance 992 sneaker is a black, grey suede and is a very fashion-forward shoe as far as the midsole technology and the very slick-looking colorways. The black suede, mid-tone grey synthetic, and suede detailing over the dark grey mesh on the toe box, quarter panels, and the collar which is situated between mesh detailing make up the upper. The white midsole brightens the sneaker underneath the black and grey colorway of the upper. The branding can be found on the collar with the “992” text, between the mudguard and the heel that states “USA” and on the back of the midsole in grey reads “new balance”. The synthetic grey tongue had “new balance” and the sneaker model number in white.
The burgundy, white and yellow colorways of this next fashion design are being called the Washington state sneaker. The yellow color of the outshines everything from the sidewalls in a hairy suede with a white outline atop the burgundy suede. The dark burgundy mesh underlays sit beneath the burgundy suede overlays on the upper with dark grey detailing in a synthetic material. The beige and white color black midsole underneath the burgundy suede mudguard and all the branding are all in the same places as the others. The release day was in late July of 2021 and the sneaker had an MRSP of $175 that day.
The next New Balance sneaker has the simplest of colorways, black, black, black. The New Balance 992 triple black sneaker is a black suede overlay of a faded black mesh with a few dark grey synthetic details around the collar that matches the midsole of the shoe by the color. The heel, under the toe, and the “N” logo were both reflective black materials. Another branding of the shoe is seen above the black suede mudguard where “USA” is in a grey text. The all-black suede tongue receives a sneaker model number in a grey “992” text. The triple black sneaker was released on the first of May 2021at with an MRSP of $175 at the initial release of the design into the sneaker world.
Finally, the last sneaker, but not the least by any means, is the New Balance 992 sneaker of a yellow and grey colorway. The yellow and grey upper that’s pigskin, suede, and leather atop a yellow mesh base that has a grey intertwining design on top of that. The almost silver reflective N logo on both upper quarter panels that are outlined in white of the same material atop the yellow suede upper. The white and grey color block midsole has branding depicting the MADE in the “USA” and a “new balance” on the heel and the midsole. The split eye rows alternated yellow, grey, and yellow contain the yellow suede tongue by white laces. The grey tip of the tongue is where the “new balance” and the “992” text are made out in white lettering and numbering. June 2020 is the release date of this shoe design and it was priced at $175 on that date.
Before You Go…
The collaborations are many upon many when it comes to this particular shoe design. We highlight the most relevant and most popular in the fashion and sneaker world. So, our website is fully dedicated to you, the user, and in every Sneaker Guru footwear article we supply ease of access through an affiliate program. There aren’t any necessities of purchases to enjoy our website. We thoroughly enjoy sharing our knowledge of fashion and footwear. However, if you need more collaboration news of the New Balance shoes or even news on the new Jack Purcell footwear through Converse. We cover Adidas sneaker designs and can keep you up to date on the whereabouts of Stan Smith, too. The point is, here at Sneaker Guru, we are more than happy to get you caught up on current events in the sneaker world, and you can always count on us to bring you the most thorough and accurate footwear news. And, we know we can count on you, too.
