Since New Balance’s 1906 loafer stepped on the runway earlier this year, it has left the sneaker community — post-sneaker advocates, too — perplexed and intrigued by its fusion of tech and sophistication.
The New Balance 1906L — the L stands for loafer, in case you missed that — is quite literally the Y2K-friendly 1906 sneaker gone dress shoe. The loafer-fied version even preserves the 1906’s mesh foundation, synthetic overlays, and, of course, that chunky dadcore sole.
New Balance’s 1906 loafer embraces a new penny loafer strap and slip-on appeal, too.
The New Balance 1906 loafer’s debut at Junya Watanabe’s Fall/Winter 2024 show was one of the biggest fashion week moments this year. The buzz only grew as fans realized New Balance had way more in store beyond the Junya collaboration, including in-line suede versions and the silver colorway that continues to make rounds online.
From the looks of it, the silver New Balance 1906 loafer will kick off the hybrid shoe’s launch. According to sneaker leakers, the long-awaited shiny metallic sneaker-loafer will be finally up for grabs on August 1.
While New Balance’s sneaker-loafer may not be the first preppy shoe hybrid, it has certainly made a significant impact. The 1906 loafer has sparked a larger conversation about the normalization of sneaker-loafers this year. Both luxury labels and everyday sneaker brands like Fendi and PUMA dished out their own sneaker-loafers — or “snloafers,” as I like to call them.
Now, the New Balance “snloafer” that started it all is ready to be unleashed.