This Candy-Colored New Balance Dad Sneaker Is a Rosey Dream
New Balance is pushing its catalog into a sweet, rose-hued space with the arrival of the New Balance U2010 Pink Salt.
While New Balance has long cemented its status as the global authority on muted dad sneakers, its design lab likes to break the cycle every so often with a colorway that switches up the signature greys for something a little more eye-catching. Here, the brand is pushing its catalog into a sweet, rose-hued space with the arrival of the New Balance U2010 Pink Salt.
This release highlights a structural balance that prioritizes the Y2K-runner geometry while pushing the boat out with color. Rather than treating a pastel palette like a novelty gimmick, New Balance uses the soft tones to bring out the complex paneling of a performance silhouette that originally belonged on the track.
Filtering an aggressive, athletic shape through a pink pastel lens, New Balance finds a beautiful balance between tech and seasonal aesthetics. It still feels like an engineered New Balance runner, but with a closer eye on characterful color, stands out from the brand’s ubiquitous 990 series.
Built on a clean white mesh base, Pink Salt nubuck sets the tone for the shoe, structurally fortified by sharp, metallic silver and pearlescent pink leather overlays that add a lighter finish.
Underfoot, the technical look is anchored by a chunky, multi-segmented cream Abzorb midsole, which houses an intricate pod system designed to deliver maximum shock absorption while grounding the pastel upper.
There is no getting around the fact that a candy-toned tech-runner is a departure from the traditional, understated uniform pieces that New Balance purists lean toward. It lands at a time when New Balance’s MT2 and 204V mark a significant move toward the more experimental. Is this the brand’s way of shifting the angle on its more retro runners?
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