Don’t Fake the Funk: New Balance’s Gator Run Snaps in 'Shadow Red'

From collaborations with and to the arrival of cult silhouettes like the and , 2025 was a huge year for . Momentum firmly on their side, the Boston brand are pushing further into experimental territory with the – a model that feels like several ideas colliding at once, in the best possible way.

Rooted in the 1982 Gator Turf, the newly introduced silhouette lands smack bang in the low-profile runner moment, sitting alongside flat retro revivals like while still carving out its own lane. The shape is streamlined and familiar, but the execution is anything but safe.

Where the Astro Grabber keeps things relatively clean, New Balance have gone maximal in the Gator Run's details. It stacks extra panelling around the toe and sidewalls, and then wraps the upper in shiny faux croc leather. Flat, elongated, and built around a toothy, nubbed outsole borrowed from the brand's trail arsenal, the silhouette arrives in 'Shadow Red', adding a darker, more expressive edge to the design.

There is precedent here. The croc-textured loafer-runner proved that New Balance aren’t afraid to flirt with luxe-y materials in unexpected places. The Gator Run pushes that idea further, bringing together retro running DNA, trail aggression and plush texture into something that doesn’t neatly fit any category.

'In a marketplace full of refined silhouettes, the Gator Run is bold and unmistakable,' says Taylor Canby, director of design at New Balance. 'Its distinct silhouette celebrates New Balance heritage while feeling fresh and serves as a reminder that design can be both functional and expressive. Sometimes the most memorable details come from revisiting the past and looking at solutions through a new lens.'

So is it a throwback runner? A fashion-forward hybrid? An animal-skin flex masquerading as sportswear? Yes, to all of it.

The New Balance Gator Run 'Shadow Red' arrives early via CNCPTS on January 16. Keep it locked for news on a wider release.

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