New Balance unveils a six-phase Made in USA seasonal collection for Spring/Summer 2026, combining iconic silhouettes with premium materials – and landing squarely in the middle of a national debate over what “American-made” really means.
New Balance has launched its Made in USA Spring/Summer 2026 Collection—a six-stage release running from February to June that puts the Boston brand’s most politically charged product line squarely in the spotlight at a moment when American manufacturing is anything but neutral.
The seasonal lineup anchors around three hallmark silhouettes – the 990v4, the 992 and the 1300 – rendered in landscape-inspired colorways built from premium suedes, leathers and breathable meshes. Apparel completes the offering: crewnecks, hoodies, track jackets, polo jerseys and, new this season, a pleated skirt in both bright and neutral tones. Suggested retail pricing ranges from $65 (€60) to $285 (€261) for apparel and $185 (€169) to $220 (€201) for footwear, available globally on NewBalance.com and at select retailers from Feb. 26.
What “Made in USA” actually means here
For international readers, a clarification is worth making upfront. Under US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules, “Made in USA” does not require 100 per cent domestic content. New Balance – which prominently discloses this in its own press materials – qualifies its Made in USA footwear as containing “a domestic value of 70 per cent or more.” That remaining 30 per cent, which can include outsoles sourced from overseas suppliers, has historically drawn scrutiny.
A 2014 Wall Street Journal investigation flagged the gap, and class action lawsuits have revisited the question since. The brand’s position is that transparency about the 70 per cent threshold satisfies its legal and ethical obligations.
The five New England factories – located across Massachusetts and Maine – that produce this collection are not symbolic. According to the brand’s own Made in USA Economic and Social Footprint report, published in December 2025, its domestic manufacturing operations contributed $479 million (€438 million) to the US economy in 2024, employed roughly 1,200 dedicated Made workers, and supported 2.5 additional US jobs for every direct manufacturing position. Total investment in expanding US factory capacity since 2021 stands at $155 million (€142 million), according to the same report.
The political economy of a New Balance collection
Timing matters. The Spring/Summer 2026 collection launches as Washington’s trade posture has made domestic manufacturing a front-page story.
Since returning to office in January 2025, President Donald Trump has pursued an aggressive tariff agenda under the banner of “America First” trade policy, imposing import duties on a wide range of goods from key trading partners including China, the European Union and others. While the Supreme Court struck down the broadest of those tariffs – those issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) – in a 6-3 ruling on 20 February, the administration has since invoked alternative authority under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a temporary 10 to 15 per cent broad import levy. The tariff environment remains volatile.
For footwear brands that source heavily from Asia – virtually every major player other than New Balance – these policies translate directly into cost pressure, supply chain reconfiguration and margin uncertainty.
New Balance occupies an unusual position: its Made in USA line is insulated, by design, from the import duties reshaping its competitors’ cost structures. Whether that insulation translates into a commercial advantage depends on how much of its broader business – which still includes significant overseas-sourced production – gets caught in the tariff crossfire.
The broader irony, as the US Chamber of Commerce noted, is that tariffs have not straightforwardly benefited American manufacturers. More than half of imported goods entering US factories are raw materials, parts and components used to produce finished goods. Higher input costs can therefore undermine the same domestic producers the policy was designed to protect. New Balance’s Made in USA supply chain is not fully immune to this dynamic; outsoles, a critical component, have historically been sourced from overseas suppliers.
Does patriotism wear sneakers?
The cultural valence of the Made in USA label has shifted. As New Balance brand communications executive Chris McAdams noted in a 2024 interview with Dazed, “15 plus years ago, the term Made in USA – not just for New Balance but for all domestic manufacturers – was about patriotism, and about creating jobs. That still matters, but to the young consumer now, it’s a testament to craft. If you’re making things yourself, that’s significantly different than if you’re having it made for you.”
For decades, New Balance has sustained domestic production while its peers offshored entirely – a rarity in an industry where the economics of labor-intensive footwear manufacturing long favored Asia. Whether that commitment now reads as heritage craft, supply chain hedging or political positioning depends on who’s wearing the shoes. All three readings are in play simultaneously.
