Tetsuya Shono

In recent times New Balance - founded as the New Balance Arch Support Company - has plucked a favourable note with the popularity of its athletic-minded shoes, particularly with its American and British-made products. As much of the brand’s global business emanates from the Japanese market, the Lifestyle Manager role for this sector is highly important; through this role Tetsuya Shono and his 17 years of experience at New Balance has helped define the difference between classic New Balance silhouettes that are globally coveted by sneakerheads versus styles that were targeted towards performance runners. Through 2013, New Balance has firmly proven itself as a competitor amongst footwear brands, expanding on niche appeal that provided mass-marketability. Demonstrative of prevalent trends swaying toward sportswear, New Balance experienced a boom in popularity over past months through limited edition releases and well-placed collaborative efforts. But for Shono, his biggest impact came courtesy of well-received projects such as the modernization of classics through the REVlite 996/580.