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New Balance’s Surprise Hit of 2025 Just Got Its Best Colorway Yet

The Made in UK Allerdale defies convention, especially for New Balance. But that’s what makes it special.

Close-up of a beige New Balance sneaker showing the textured leather upper, beige laces, and the embossed New Balance "NB" logo on the side. The shoe has detailed stitching and a padded collar.New Balance

By Jack Seemer

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If good sneakers define moments, the best ones defy them.

Just look at the Chuck Taylor All-Star, Adidas Samba and even classic Crocs — timeless designs that remain relevant for years after their release, regardless of what the trends say.

In its own way, the New Balance Allerdale aims to follow a similar playbook, namely by ignoring everything else out there.

Pair of beige New Balance sneakers with a textured leather upper, matching beige laces, and a thick rubber sole. The New Balance logo is embossed on the side of each shoe. The design is minimal and monochromatic, with a slightly padded collar for comfort.
The Made in UK Allerdale has only been out for half a year but it already feels like a familiar classic.
New Balance

Walk, don’t run

New Balance is one of the most dominant footwear brands on the planet, owing much of its present-day success to sustained demand for retro, tech-driven runners.

The Allerdale, by contrast, is anything but that …

New Balance Made in UK Allerdale
Dark-brown suede was one of the earliest colorways of the shoe, which is made in rural England.
New Balance

Released earlier this year to critical acclaim, the “sneaker” (if you can even call it that) is supposed to evoke the sleepy energy of English countryside, where New Balance makes the Allerdale, along with the rest of the brand’s Made in UK catalog.

New Balance Drake's Allerdale shoes
New Balance teamed up with Drake’s earlier this year for a one-off rendition of the Allerdale.
New Balance

The design features a semi-technical outsole made for morning strolls, never mind marathons, as well as simple leather upper, already reimagined several times since its debut.

Light brown rubber outsole of a shoe with a textured tread pattern featuring rectangular and triangular shapes, and a small embossed "NB" logo near the center.
The outsole is designed for walking, with small lugs for light trails.
New Balance

The first variants featured dark-brown uppers in tumbled leather and suede, while a one-off edition with menswear label Drake’s turned heads with its multimaterial remix.

But from where I’m standing, the shoe has finally come into its own with the latest iteration: a vegetable-tanned makeover that now arrives in the US a blank canvas for patina.

Pair of tan leather New Balance sneakers with beige laces, viewed from above on a white background. The shoes have a textured leather upper and padded collars. The insoles are visible, showing the New Balance Ortholite branding.
The vegetable-tanned upper is a blank canvas for patina.
New Balance
Pair of tan suede sneakers shown from the back, featuring a smooth, slightly textured upper and a thick, matching tan rubber sole. The shoes have a padded collar and visible stitching along the heel.
Simple and clean.
New Balance

It reminds me a bit of Hender Scheme’s take on the Nike Air Force 1, reimagined through the lens of an orthotics walking shoe. In other words: a far cry from the trendy Y2K runners that now define the majority of the New Balance catalog.

That said, the Allerdale is a good reminder that sometimes the best way to outrun the trends is to ignore them entirely. And in the race for longterm relevance, slow and steady is often the hardest to beat.

Availability and pricing

The New Balance Made in UK Allerdale “Hazelnut” is available now via the brand’s official website. It costs $270.

About the Author:

Jack Seemer is the executive editor at Gear Patrol, with over a decade of experience in product journalism. He currently reports on a wide range of topics, including footwear, watches, EDC, cookware and more.

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