New Balance 576

About

The New Balance 576 debuted in 1988 as an all-terrain running and training shoe, one of the last of New Balance's traditional "Big N" silhouettes. It succeeded the 575, built with a wider fit and roomier toe box for extra trail mileage. The model struggled in its original US market but found traction in Europe's trail-running scene before becoming popular streetwear in Japan. The line was pulled for a period before being revived in the 1990s with bold colorways and account-exclusive releases that drove sales. Today it is manufactured at New Balance's family-run Flimby factory in North West England as part of the "Made in UK" program. Construction mixes suede, pigskin, mesh, and synthetic uppers atop New Balance's ENCAP midsole with a motion-control device for stability. New Balance has released 30th- and 35th-anniversary UK-made packs celebrating this manufacturing heritage, and Highsnobiety has called it "the ultimate anti-hype sneaker."