Inside the Design of the New Balance 5030

This time last year, New Balance was just beginning the rollout of their latest series of silhouettes to feature ABZORB technology, the New Balance ABZORB 2000 and 2010. Where the 2000 looked toward a future in which ABZORB tech was never abandoned by the brand, and the 2010 was a “classic” look using the technology, what would a contemporary version of this vision look like? Well, New Balance has been cooking up that very silhouette for over three years now and is finally ready to debut the New Balance 5030.

The public got its first glimpse at the New Balance 5030 thanks to European retailer Slam Jam, which presented a sample pair of its upcoming collaboration on the sneaker at Paris Fashion Week. While Slam Jam applied a metallic silver upper to the model, there are plenty of material options headed our way.

How do we know? Sole Retriever was fortunate enough to speak with two New Balance employees who worked on the 5030: designer Joe Walsh and Rodrigo Milreu, Global Business Unit Manager and product manager for the 5030, who gave us a full breakdown of the model. Walsh and Milreu discussed the origins of the sneaker, inspiration, and where it fits within the New Balance roster.

Expanding the ABZORB Family

A family of silhouettes is quite common across the footwear industry. Nike has its Air Maxes, adidas has the Ultraboost, and New Balance has the 99X series. But the Boston-based sportswear company subtly introduced us to a new family of sneakers connected via the ABZORB cushioning technology last year with the aforementioned 2000 and 2010 silhouettes. The 5030 is now the third member of this ABZORB family.

Aside from the obvious use of the same technology amongst the three sneakers, the ABZORB models all feature visual consistency in the midsole. The 2000 definitely pushes things to an extreme, but the 2010 and 5030 have a similar shape and ABZORB pod placement in the heel, unifying them under the same family tree.

“We kind of started designing the three models all together, the 2010, more classic, 2000, really pushing the boundaries, and then the 5030 kind of being in the middle,” said Rodrigo. “We said, ‘Hey, let’s launch a classic first, set up the stage, and then we push the boundaries with the 2000. And then the 5030 going third.’”

New Balance wasn’t able to share specifics about more ABZORB family members who may be joining the lineup, but it’s quite clear that with the success of the first two models, there’s bound to be more options down the line.

A Futuristic Take on Familiar New Balance DNA

Rodrigo and Joe both shared that work on the New Balance 5030 began years back, 2023 to be specific. Again, we keep mentioning the experimental 2000 and the more grounded 2010, but that’s to hammer home that the 5030 is meant to sit comfortably between these two design philosophies. Joe shared, “The aim is that there’s something kind of recognizable about it, but you can’t put your finger on what it is.” 

New Balance has a long history of producing contemporary and classic designs that are timeless. A 991 looks like something that could have been produced in the ‘80s just as much as it looks like something that would be released today, but with renewed interest in the brand, there has to be room for experimentation. “We wanted to push boundaries of how contemporary and futuristic a silhouette could be from us,” said Joe.

Where your traditional New Balance design comes with layers upon layers of mesh, suede, and leather, the 5030 keeps things quite simple. The Slam Jam pair presented to the public appears to be a single piece wrapped around a shell, and Joe shared with us that it’s only one or two pieces that make up the upper. Slam Jam’s version, again, was an experimental take on the sneaker, but retail versions like the ones pictured above are done with cloth-like mesh.

To give the design depth, a series of wavy, contoured lines fly across the upper. Forgive the ignorant American author for drawing comparisons to soccer cleats, but that was actually not even a thought in Joe's or the team’s mind when designing the model. But you know what model was? The New Balance 530.

The New Balance 530 Connection

Go to any big-box retailer, a gym, or virtually any public space and you’re bound to spot a pair of New Balance 530s. The affordable mesh runner launched as a performance shoe in 1992, but it’s found a comfortable new life as a lifestyle sneaker in the last decade. It’s become famous on TikTok and social media feeds, and is a staple piece in many wardrobes around the globe now that the mesh runner trend is seemingly here to stay.

Once Joe mentioned the New Balance 530 played a major role in the design of the 5030 it all clicked. 530 to 5030, similar to how the 99X series partially inspired the 9060. “It was never meant to be a kind of obvious 530 duplication or V2 or anything like that,” said Joe. “It was more using the 530 as sort of a staple New Balance recognizable silhouette and then going really contemporary and futuristic with the 5030.”

The line work and general oval (or C shape) are clearly inspired by the 530, and now was the time to use the foundational model as a jumping point for something more exotic. “You will have seen over the years, we’ve done expressive takes on our iconic models, and the 530 we hadn’t done that yet,” said Joe. “It was almost new ground for us to play in. So there was a conscious decision there as well.”

New Balance 5030 Rollout

As with most Paris Fashion Week debuts, there’s a bit of time before the public can get its hands on the New Balance 5030. Luckily, the wait isn’t until the Fall/Winter season as New Balance plans to drop the first colorways of the 5030, a purple mesh and a sky blue/white pair, in April 2026. From there, expect to see the black/white rendition on shelves in June.

Of course, expect collaborations on the project; we already saw Slam Jam tease its project on the sneaker. New Balance was obviously not able to confirm or discuss any other partners working on the sneaker, but as seen with the 2000 and 2010 getting some key collaborators early on in its life cycle, we expect the same thing to happen here.

For real-time updates on the 5030 launch, and more in the sneaker world, download the Sole Retriever mobile app.

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts, catching the latest movies, and trying new food. Email: nick@soleretriever.com