The Big New Balance Sneaker of 2025 Is a Certified Steve Jobs Classic
New Balance dominates the overstuffed pantheon of dad shoes. You could even justifiably argue that NB, with its long legacy of fat-bottomed running sneakers, is the singular dad shoe OG.
Thus 2025's presumed New Balance 992 revival will not be a comeback as much as a victory lap, with the once-discontinued sneaker set to return early next year.
The New Balance 992 is one of the all-time great New Balance shoes, a heavyweight update to the well-loved 991, itself an archetypal dad sneaker that wears overlapping suede 'n mesh panels atop a well-cushioned sole unit.
And, also like the 991, New Balance's 992 is a certified Steve Jobs classic, as both models were adopted as part of the Apple cofounder's daily uniform along with faded Levi's 501 jeans and bespoke Issey Miyake mock-neck shirts. The 991, released in 2001, was only marginally less meaty than 2006's 992 but they share the substantive 99x line's DNA.
However, you could justifiably argue that the 992 is perhaps the single greatest dad shoe in New Balance's arsenal.
Whereas the 991 is a classic and 2008's subsequent 993 is a solid streamlining of the ideas therein, the NB 992 is an objective highwater mark, stacking layers of textural suede atop an extra-beefy sole unit, hybridizing breathable mesh and more organic materials into a terrifically elderly package of supremely trend-agnostic utility.
When it released, the NB 992 was primarily embraced by runners — its target audience — it soon beame a cult classic.
The chunky sneaker found an especially ardent following in Japan, an appreciation reflected in WTAPS' uncomparable 992 collab from a few years back, an appreciation that's spread to a new generation of Taiwanese streetwear labels (who are also fans of WTAPS).
Appropriately, word of the 992's revival is also primarily coming from Taiwan and Japan.
Local leakers have been discussing the NB 992's return since at least the end of summer and, as we head into 2025, a handful of pages have suggested that New Balance will launch a handful of classic 992 colorways in February.
It certainly feels right — the 992 has been widely unattainable since at least 2021 despite an abundance of admiring press and commemorative collaborations.
In the meantime, New Balance has reprioritized various other 99x models as its many partners renew focus on the Made in USA program, both of which include the 992.
Indeed, a Joe Freshgoods 992 is expected to release in 2025 to help herald the model's return.
Not that there's a dearth of well-made dad shoes rolling out these days, of course, but wouldn't it be nice to be reintroduced to one of the ones that started it all?
