New Balance 99X Series

The New Balance 99X Series is a series of athletic shoes produced by New Balance since the introduction of the first New Balance 990 in 1982.

New Balance Women's 990v3

The shoes have been updated sporadically since the original 990 — all models have used the 99X numbering format and some model numbers have been reused throughout the years.

On the 30th anniversary of the shoe in 2012, the New York Times reported, "The 990 has a cult following: according to New Balance officials, it was favored by Steve Jobs, and has also been worn by the actors Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner and Hilary Duff.[1] Forbes, BBC and other media also reported how Jobs wore the shoes frequently. [2][3][4]

Design of the 990 in 2012 was led by New Balance Senior Designer Andrew Nyssen.[5]

Series history

Most of the information on the early models of the 99X Series is available on two New Balance promotional histories of the series in video format.[6][7]

New Balance chairman Jim Davis has claimed that the original design concept actually came in a letter from Steve Jobs, a known New Balance enthusiast and founder of Apple Computers. Jobs, wrote to Davies because he was tired of wearing plain leather shoes and he wanted something "more sporty and hip". He included a rough sketch of what he envisioned for the shoe and this formed the base that designers built the series from.

(just asked Jim Davis face to face in November 2018 in Shanghai, China, that he denied the design story above, saying "We gave him (Steve Jobs) two, but he just kept buying and buying.)

  • New Balance 990 – 1982
  • New Balance 995 – 1986
  • New Balance 996 – 1988[6]/1989[7]
  • New Balance 997 – 1990[6]/1991[7]
  • New Balance 998 – 1993
  • New Balance 999 – 1996
  • New Balance 990v2 – 1998
  • New Balance 991 – 2001
  • New Balance 992 – 2006
  • New Balance 993 – 2008
  • New Balance 990v3 – 2012[1]
  • New Balance 990v4 – 2016
  • New Balance 990v5 – 2019
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References
  1. "New Balance Celebrates Its Homemade Footprint". The New York Times. 5 April 2012.
  2. Jacquelyn Smith (5 October 2012). "Steve Jobs Always Dressed Exactly the Same. Here's Who Else Does". Forbes.
  3. "BBC News - What made Steve Jobs unique?". BBC News.
  4. Adam Clark Estes. "The Booming Business of Selling Steve Jobs's Wardrobe". The Wire.
  5. "New Balance Senior Designer Andrew Nyssen Tells Us How He Didn't Mess With History Too Much Designing The New 990v3 In This Interview - CounterKicks". counterkicks.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-06.
  6. "History of the New Balance 99X Series". YouTube. 20 September 2009.
  7. "New Balance 99x Series History". YouTube. 5 August 2013.
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