New Balance Made in UK: British Craft, Modern Icons
New Balance’s Made in UK line has long been a benchmark for sneakerheads who care as much about provenance as they do about design. For the S2 seasonal lookbook, the brand leans hard into its British roots — not just in terms of where the shoes are made, but in who’s wearing them and how they’re presented.
The casting reads like a cross-section of contemporary British culture: Bashy, the MOBO-winning rapper and Top Boyactor; Charlie Cooper, the BAFTA-winning co-creator and star of This Country; Flo, NTS Radio’s eclectic selector; Charlie Birch, a New Balance Numeric skateboarder; and Jazz Grant, a visual artist known for her layered, mixed-media collages. All of them wear silhouettes built in New Balance’s Flimby factory — the 991v2, the Allerdale, and the 1500 — models that have become shorthand for the brand’s UK craftsmanship.
Flimby itself is at the heart of the story. For decades, the small Cumbrian village has been home to some of the most respected sneaker production in the world. This isn’t about nostalgia for its own sake, though. The ethos here is clear: traditional methods remain when they’re still the best way to make something, but innovation is embraced when it genuinely improves the product. It’s an approach that feels distinctly British — pragmatic, detail-driven, and with an eye for longevity over fleeting hype.
The lookbook itself doubles down on that identity. Shot entirely in the UK, with British stylists and photographers, it captures the textures, tones, and settings that make the country unique. Think urban grit balanced with heritage cues — the kind of visual storytelling that makes the campaign feel like an exportable version of ‘Britishness’ without losing its authenticity.
The footwear is front and centre. The updated 991v2 brings a streamlined shape and modern cushioning tech to a silhouette with deep ties to UK sneaker culture. The Allerdale nods to rugged British landscapes with its muted, earthy palette, while the 1500 continues to deliver the kind of precise panel work and balanced proportions that have made it a Made in UK favourite since the late ’80s.
By pairing these designs with figures who represent the cutting edge of British creativity, New Balance makes a point: craftsmanship isn’t static. It evolves. The people wearing these sneakers aren’t traditionalists in the dusty sense — they’re innovators, each working within their own discipline to push things forward while respecting what came before.
That’s the thread running through the Made in UK collection — from Flimby’s production lines to the cultural arenas these ambassadors occupy. It’s why the shoes resonate as much with DJs and skaters as they do with long-time collectors. And it’s why, season after season, they remain a fixture for those who care about both style and substance.
The S2 Made in UK lookbook is available now, with the collection online.