Massachusetts-based New Balance Arch    Company was founded in 1906 by English-   born businessman William J. Riley. Initially    it offered orthopaedic products, specializing    in arch supports and prescription footwear.
  In 1934, Riley joined forces with company salesman Arthur Hall. Hall had carved a niche for himself in the shoe market by selling the  supports to people with physically demanding  jobs, such as policemen.
  By the 1950s, however, the benefits of New   Balance products had made such an impression that athletes were approaching the company for bespoke shoes.    

  The management also underwent a reshuffle in 1954 when Hall sold the business to his daughter and her husband Paul Kidd. The volume of athletic products being manufactured by New Balance increased rapidly -to such an extent that this soon became the company’s principal specialism. In 1961, the company launched the Trackster, which claimed to be the first performance running shoe with a ripple sole. It was also available in various widths.
  New Balance again changed hands in 1972 when the Kidds sold the company to entrepreneur Jim S. Davis. By 1976, the company – though still small – had made its name globally, and the breakthrough 320 model won first place at the Runner’s World magazine awards.
  New Balance has since gone from strength to strength and is still regarded as one of the world’s most elite sports footwear manufacturers. It now caters for a whole range of different sports, including basketball, tennis and hiking. The 576 model (pages 92-93), initially produced in the 1980s, is one of its most popular sneakers.