New Balance 204L

204L

New Balance has a long history of high-quality running shoes, and in the 2020s, the brand honoured this heritage with various classy retro-inspired sneakers. In summer 2025, this resulted in the launch of a sleek new silhouette called the 204L.

The New Balance 204L features a layered upper based on early 2000s running models, with luxurious suede used throughout for a plush, elevated feel. The stacked overlays provide solid durability, especially in the heel, and perforations have been added across the upper so that air can flow around the foot. Textile lace loops are attached to the midfoot saddle and the central tongue patch, while a sturdy leather one secures the bottom of the laces, thus ensuring firm lockdown for a snug, comfortable fit.

Underfoot, the 204L is equally sleek, its low-profile sole unit paying homage to 1970s sports shoes. Beneath a soft, supportive layer of EVA foam is a rubber outsole covered in arcing rows of oval-shaped lugs that wrap up around the sides for comprehensive traction. Striking across the outsole from heel to toe are 2000s-inspired guidance stripes which add more grip alongside a powerful throwback look.

The New Balance 204L blends old-school aesthetics from different moments in New Balance’s history with a captivating contemporary style. Its swooping overlays are stylishly elegant, and its layered sidewall logos seamlessly blend into the midfoot panelling. Meanwhile, subtle NB symbols adorn the tongue and heel, with etched design lines adding a dynamic touch to the flanks.

To build excitement for the 204L’s summertime release, New Balance paired with American lifestyle brand Kith and Japanese luxury label AURALEE. Both designed collaborative versions, with the former producing a set of three brightly coloured models featuring Y2K-era mesh underlays and the latter crafting two editions in graceful yet contrasting styles and tones. While AURALEE’s debuted on the catwalk during the brand’s runway show at Paris Fashion Week in June 2025, Kith’s were launched at a special event at the Kith Women Flagship Store in Manhattan on July 18th where customers purchasing a pair were gifted a special bouquet of flowers matching its summer-inspired tones.

Ahead of these collaborative releases and the later launch of the Mushroom and Timberwolf general release colourways, New Balance revealed the 204L on social media alongside an exciting announcement about a new global brand ambassador: award-winning Spanish singer Rosalía. In a creative campaign put out over several days, the influential artist is depicted in a comic-book-style story evoking nostalgic detective movies. Each chapter shows a different part of her journey from New Balance’s Boston headquarters to an office in New York, where she delivers a box containing a Rosalía poster with the NB logo on it. In the final post, she sits on a city rooftop wearing the 204L, with the caption revealing that she is now a New Balance ambassador.

With its slimline build, retro-inspired features and graceful aesthetic, the New Balance 204L is an alluring sneaker that is both highly wearable and effortlessly stylish.