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You can hardly walk down the streets of Sydney or Melbourne without seeing a pair of New Balance 9060s or 740s. These silhouettes have struck an accord with their retro-future tech aesthetic of the Y2K era, including big mesh, reflective highlights, scaled-up proportions, metallic finishes, and the high-quality construction and daily comfort expected from a New Balance.
More impressive to me is that these are not retro silhouettes despite their retro look. They’re not “Made in the USA” or “Made in the UK” either. The sneaker industry is obsessed with retroing relics from the past, but it’s more impressive to me when a brand releases an all-new silhouette to mainstream acclaim.
New Balance has done it with the 9060, they’ve done it with the 740 and the WRPD Runner. Now, they’re going to do it again with the New Balance ABZORB 2010. Set to release on Friday, 7th May 2025 at 10:00 AEST (Australia/Melbourne), these are available at newbalance.com.au for AUD$240. I’ve been wearing, styling, and figuring out these shoes for a few days now, and I’ll share all my thoughts on them below!
The New Balance ABZORB 2010 is an all-new model inspired by the brand’s classic 99X series. It was first released in collaboration with Kith as part of their Spring 2025 collection, and we had our first glimpse at the silhouette in the brand’s lookbook and music video for Kith Records’ Hype Williams-directed “New York to the World” single. It was an instant hit, but it was not readily accessible.
Now, we have our hands on the first general release colourway named “Dockside with Indigo.” While it won’t be a walk in the park to secure a pair at launch, it will certainly be easier to come by when they release on Friday, 7th May 2025 at 10:00 AEST (Australia/Melbourne).
With a diamond-knit mesh upper that sits next to nubuck and synthetic overlays, the shoe is an exploration of 2000s-era running influences from New Balance. Next to these, you’ll find intricate details like reflective accents and a moulded ‘N’ logo. The silhouette looks retro, not overly futuristic, and draws clear features from the 99X series, including 990v4 and 990v3 with the elevated logo on the midfoot.
Comfort-wise, it’s everything that we’ve come to expect from New Balance. Such is the name, the brand has included ABZORB cushioning in the midsole and ABZORB SBS at the heel and forefoot. They’ve done so with more expansive proportions to make the technology a centrepiece of this design.
When released in the early 1990s, ABZORB technology was seen as a revolutionary performance running tool. Today, it serves as a comfort technology more so than a performance tool, but that does make these perfect for all-day comfort. We would struggle to list the number of people who have thanked us for recommending New Balance sneakers as the perfect pair to take travelling, where walking around cities and staying stylish is paramount. Previously, we’d recommended a 1906r, and while that’s still true, the ABZORB 2010 is another great option.
If you’re looking for a daily driver-type of sneaker that you can run errands in, style, and even walk through the streets of Paris in on your next holiday, then the New Balance ABZORB 2010 is a great pair of shoes that we can recommend. They’ll be available from Friday, 7th May 2025 at 10:00 AEST (Australia/Melbourne) at newbalance.com.au for AUD$240.
