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The Sneaker Brand That Never Chased Nike
A 120-year-old company, five domestic factories, and a bet that took four decades to pay off. Plus: the real reason most footwear factories never left Asia.
Sourcify
August 04, 2026
New Balance: The Dad Show That Waited for the World to Catch Up
Most footwear brands that talk about domestic manufacturing don’t actually mean it the way they imply. New Balance is one of the few that can back it up, and even they’ll tell you it’s more complicated than “Made in USA.”
On the newest episode of Ecommerce on Tap, Aaron sited down with Becca Oden to take New Balance apart piece by piece.
A few things that stood out:
Domestic manufacturing isn’t a switch you flip. New Balance runs 5 factories in Maine and Massachusetts, with a sixth coming in New Hampshire. But most of its global volume still comes from Asia, and even the “domestic” shows rely on imported components. The compay is careful about that distinction for a reason. Overstating it is how brands get caught flat-footed later.
Tariffs can hurt onshore production too. It sounds backwards, but if the cost of imported raw materials goes up, domesti assembly can get squeeze right along with everything else. Worth remembering the next time tariffs get pitched as a simple win for US manufacturing.
Complexity isnt always the problem. New Balance sells the same show in far more widths and sized than almost anyone else in the category. It’s expensive to run. It’s also very hard to copy. The lesson we keep coming back to with founders: some complexity is the reason customers stay, not a cost to trim.
Becca and Aaron also get into the collaboration strategy that turned New Balance from “your dad’s sneaker” into a cultural moment.
Worth reading this week:
The Real Reason Footwear Manufacturing Stayed in Asia: the direct counterpoint to New Balance’s story. Most brands don’t have the option New Balace has, and this explains why.
Apparel Manufctauring Costs Explained: the “why don’t we just make it in America” question, answered without the shortcuts.
Footwear Factory Tiers Explained: useful if this episode has you thinking about your own factory relationships differently.
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