New Balance launches first Made in USA collection made by women

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Mar 9, 2020

Athletic retailer New Balance is honoring Women's History Month with the brand's first-ever Made in USA collection designed and developed by an all-female team. 

The Made by Women collection includes two shoe models: the Made 997S, which features a new sports sole, and a new version of the Made 992, which marks the first time the shoe model has been made specifically for women. The 997S retails at $200, while the 992 is priced at $175. 

In order to promote the collection, New Balance produced a video showing the members of the all-female team as they produced the new sneakers, from the manufacturing stage to the final product. 

"Within the athletic industry, it is historically, predominantly male," Melissa Worth, senior vice president, North America said in the video. "I think it's important to note all of the women that are working across and that we all have very important positions and can make something like this happen."

All footwear models under New Balance's Made in USA category can attribute at least 70% of their value to domestic labor and materials. According to the company, New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 3 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the U.S.  

Outside of its celebration of Women's History Month, New Balance kicked off the month of March by announcing that it has become the newest official marketing partner of the NBA.   

The Made by Women collection is available now at newbalance.com.