New Balance taps Slam Jam to Help Debut the New 5030 Silhouette

New Balance has been staying relevant with a continued focus on classic mesh and suede retro runners and a renewed focus on professional sports, but to keep up with the rapidly changing industry, the Boston-based brand is also bringing out some fresh silhouettes. Kicking the year off with a fresh look, New Balance is tapping Italian boutique Slam Jam for a collab colorway on the debut pair of the new New Balance 5030.

First seen in photos of a sample pair from The Drop Date on Instagram, the Slam Jam x New Balance 5030 is a space-age one-piece runner in shiny metallic silver with swooping indented lines criss-crossing across the upper from toe to heel. Featuring a recessed tongue that starts at a point midway up the shoe, the tongue and sockliner are black, with black and white hiking laces tucking through the fully stabilized tongue.

As noted by The Drop Date, this sample pair isn’t the final colorway, but the blocking should remain similar on the final release pair, with a black midsole and more silver on the ABZORB pods in the heel. In addition to the Slam Jam colorway, the New Balance 5030 will be featured prominently in the NB catalog for the rest of 2026.

So far, we only have the photos of the sample pair of Slam Jam x New Balance 5030s, so we’re still waiting on firm release details and pricing info. To keep up with all the latest New Balance collab news and drop info, download the Sole Retriever mobile app.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com