FERRARI HAS RED, Maccas owns the golden arches, and yellow and blue immediately bring to mind IKEA. What brand can lay a claim to grey? New Balance, of course.
Back in the ‘80s, New Balance first incorporated the shade into its designs, bringing grey into its range of performance running shoes. The colour was selected because of its understated qualities, which kept the focus squarely on the shoe’s function, rather than aesthetics.
Soon after, New Balance’s grey sneakers became a coveted item among long distance road runners – with their tone the perfect complement to the concrete they pounded. Fast forward to today and New Balance Grey has earned a cult following – its 990s, in particular, are streetwear staples.
To celebrate its defining colour, New Balance has ‘Grey Days’ every year, releasing new styles and apparel in variations of the tone. This year’s campaign is brought to life by a cast of New Balance athletes and ambassadors including Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Darius Garland, Quincy Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Of course, there will also be a string of fresh colourways released every week throughout May. Here are some of our favourites.
New Balance FuelCell Rebel V5
Releasing in drop one from May 1st (in other words: avaialable now) is the FuelCell Rebel V5. It’s best used for fast-paced training sessions, tempo runs and interval training. Essentially, when you want your training runs to go a little faster.
The Rebel uses a PEBA and EVA-blended FuelCell midsole, delivering enhanced energy return and an even more responsive ride. Now in grey, the new version introduces a more discreet profile for a fairly out-there running shoe.
New Balance 1080 V15
The New Balance 1080V15 is one of our all-time favourite running shoes. It swaps out Fresh Foam (which was used in previous models) for the all-new Infinion foam – a risk, but one that pays off. Fresh Foam excelled in balancing comfort with responsiveness, but Infinion foam is even more comfortable (you can really feel the squish with every step) and at least equally responsive. It’s the ideal running shoe for daily training. In grey, it becomes more versatile and lifestyle-oriented.
Shop the New Balance 2026 Grey Days collection at New Balance stores, newbalance.com and select retailers throughout the month of May.
