Loro Piana x New Balance 990v6 Made in USA 'Raw Cashew'
Colorway: Raw Cashew · Style code: U990LO6 · Release date: September 5, 2024 · Price: $4167 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Made in USA 990v4 (U990BG4) · Made in USA 990v4 (U990BR4) · Made in USA 990v4 (U990LV4) · Made in USA 990v4 (U99076B) · Made in USA 990v4 (U990MB4)
Loro Piana is a materials company before it is a clothing one. Pietro Loro Piana formalised the business in Quarona, in Piedmont, in 1924, building on a family trade in textiles that reached back to the early nineteenth century. It became one of the world's largest buyers of cashmere and works in vicuña, merino and linen as well; production has stayed concentrated in the Valsesia area of northern Italy. LVMH bought a majority stake in July 2013 for $2.6 billion and has increased it since.
That background explains what this collaboration actually changes. The 990v6 is the current step in a line New Balance began in 1982 and still assembles domestically, and the shoe's structure is untouched here: an ENCAP midsole pairing FuelCell foam with a firm polyurethane rim, the shape unchanged.
What is different is the surface. A grey mesh base carries nubuck overlays in the same tone, burgundy trim outlines the N, and a Loro Piana tag sits on the tongue. The price, $1,500 on 5 September 2024, reflects the fibre rather than the engineering.