True Mindset
New Balance makes toning a 360˚ affair. NEW BALANCE BUILDS its toning product assortment with the launch of TrueBalance, part of the brand’s wellness initiative to assist active women in their everyday activities and alleviate their time-management woes. Sarah Kopriva, senior product manager for New Balance Wellness, feels the time is right for the brand to make a bold splash with consumers. “New Balance has a heritage in the walking industry for 25 years,” she says. “It’s about making wellness a mindset, not a category.” The goal is to “help women reframe the way they think of exercise [so they] see it more as an indulgence,” Kopriva explains. The TrueBalance collection offers just that with a patent-pending balance board featuring a soft, flexible sole unit with a spring system and rounded shape. This technology creates an unstable platform, requiring the wearer to work to maintain their natural balance and in turn toning muscles and burning calories. TrueBalance reportedly works in a 360-degree motion to expand muscle reach,
One for the Ladies
Aetrex Xpress melds performance and looks. COMFORT BRAND AETREX is keying in on what women want—especially in terms of footwear meant to move. This summer, the brand introduces Xspress Fitness Runners, developed to meet the requirements of the XX set both in and out of the gym, eliminating the need to choose between performance and style. To create the Xspress product, Aetrex gathered an experienced group of female designers and fitness trainers to help determine what should go into the ultimate fitness shoe for running and walking. “It was tough for us [men] to use self-control and stay out of the room, but we did a pretty good job of staying away,” CEO Larry Schwartz jokes. As it turned out, the female perspective sparked an all-new approach to product conception and development. “Women want to feel good on their feet, they want the shoe to be light, but they also want it to look good,” Schwartz says. “I think the fashion
whereas other toning products—including New Balance’s own Rock&Tone collection—typically focus on a front-to-back rolling motion. Testing has shown this approach can spark up to a 29-percent increase in muscle activation and up to a 10-percent increase in calorie burning over conventional walking shoes. Wear tests—including electromyography, kinematic, kinetic and physiologic tests in the New Balance Sports Research Lab—have substantiated these claims. Consumers also took part in blindfolded testing and a six-week trial to ensure the shoes had long-term benefits. The collection boasts a high comfort factor but a lower profile silhouette than most competitors’ shoes, which creates a sleeker look. “We were finding that people didn’t want to sacrifice style to get the benefits they desired,” says Kopriva. “We’re packaging a toning system as a hidden beauty secret.” New Balance is launching TrueBalance this month with two styles. The 1100 is the premium version with more balance technology and upgraded materials, like suede, to make it more lightweight for all-day wear. This “progressive athletic” shoe will retail for $110 at high-end department and specialty retailers and comes in gray/lime, black/purple, gray/blue and white/ pink. The 850 is made with synthetic materials and mesh to create a more athletic-looking shoe. At $90, New Balance is placing this style—which comes in white/gray/pink, black/gray/pink, silver/blue and white/tan/charcoal combinations—in department stores. More colorways will be added early next year. The company will also introduce the 1105 ($130)—a premium leather, casual dress shoe option for this fall and extend the product line with a men’s version of the 850. Kopriva notes buyers are clamoring for early samples and are liking how the shoes can be worn for different occasions. New Balance will incorporate the TrueBalance technology into its Aravon brand as well, with casual silhouettes like Mary Janes and a style with a Z-strap closure. Extending the technology to everyday styles just makes sense, Kopriva says, noting, “Women want these benefits in every aspect of their lives.” —Christine Bove
element is something that’s often missing in this type of footwear. It’s about the little things you can do so women won’t want to take these off their feet when they leave the gym.” Step one was designing a last specifically meant for a woman’s foot and stripping away the unnecessary materials and technologies that sometimes overwhelm fitness footwear. By doing so, “We were able to create a clean and sleek silhouette,” notes Susan Ryder, Aetrex’s women’s product director. “We combined this with innovative customization features you expect to find in a performance shoe including support, fit, shock absorption and cushioning.” It’s a balance of not too little but not too much, Schwartz adds, noting that the current buzz around minimalistic design for performance shoes has steered the brand away from over-engineering. In addition, he notes, the same strategies the company has used to improve the look of its women’s casuals have been applied to the Xspress line. “And, based on our pre-sales, we’re onto something,” Schwartz says, reporting that the Xspress Fitness Runner has been the best pre-booked athletic shoe the company has ever offered. The lightweight shoes feature breathable mesh uppers that maximize airflow, plus a heel counter and footbridge that together keep the foot stable and provide support. The design team also ensured great traction through slip-resistant rubber outsoles, while the shoes can accomodate Aetrex’s Mozaic customization technology to relieve pressure on hot spots of an individual’s foot as she engages in walking or running. The Xspress line also baits active women ages 30 to 50 through trendright color combinations (white with lavender, cranberry or light blue as well as a gray version with salmon pink pops that Schwartz says has been the No. 1 choice) and feminine details, such as metallic leathers and python-embossed trims. Available in sizes 5 to 11 and both medium and wide widths, each pair in the Xspress collection is set to retail for $99.95. “We’re very excited about the initial feedback we’ve received,” Ryder reports. “Women feel great running or exercising in them and don’t want to take them off for the rest of the day.” —Leslie Shiers july 2010 • footwearplusmagazine.com 41