Friday Fiasco with Lee Stuart and Sam Pearce

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Friday Fiasco with Lee Stuart and Sam Pearce"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Throwing Fits
• Host/Author: Throwing Fits
• Episode: Friday Fiasco with Lee Stuart and Sam Pearce
• Release Date: March 21, 2025
• Description: Two grown dirtbags just tryna navigate the male zeitgeist. For more content, visit Throwing Fits on Substack.

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1. Introduction of Guests (01:13 – 01:37)

Hosts Jimmy and Larry welcome their guests, Lee Stewart, Senior Marketing Manager for Europe at New Balance, and Sam Pierce, Creative Design Manager for New Balance, Made in UK. The hosts humorously tease Sam for missing an earlier call, setting a casual and friendly tone for the episode.

Notable Quote:

• "Sam, you owe us because you bailed on our call earlier." – Jimmy [01:25]

2. Understanding Roles at New Balance (01:37 – 02:38)

The discussion begins with the hosts probing the complexity of their guests' job titles.

• Lee Stewart explains his role as a bridge between the global marketing team and European marketing teams, highlighting his responsibility for cohesion across multiple countries.

  Quote:

  • "I am the new guy. I joined New Balance a year ago. My job entails being the bridge between the global marketing team and the marketing teams in Europe." – Lee Stewart [01:45]

• Sam Pierce clarifies his position by emphasizing his focus on creative direction and design within the Made in UK division.

  Quote:

  • "I drive creative direction and new designs. A small team here, design team based out of the Manster Office and yeah, with a focus on Made in UK." – Sam Pierce [02:39]

3. New Balance 'Made in UK' Philosophy (02:38 – 07:06)

Sam Pierce shares his passion for New Balance, tracing his connection back to discovering the brand through Sneaker Freaker magazine. He emphasizes the significance of New Balance's UK manufacturing heritage in Flimby, contrasting it with the predominantly US and Asia-based sneaker brands.

Notable Quotes:

• "It felt like all the other brands were driving from America. And that was the one thing that felt like from a UK perspective, that I was I could be part of and play into and feel connected to." – Sam Pierce [03:37]
• "Anybody come along? For real? The factory tour is fucking sick for anyone that has a chance." – Jimmy [03:26]

4. The Allerdale Model: Design and Production (04:41 – 12:05)

The conversation transitions to New Balance's latest product, the Allerdale model. Sam Pierce delves into the shoe's design philosophy, blending traditional hiking and climbing shoe elements with modern running technology. He highlights the use of fresh foam in the midsole for enhanced comfort and durability.

Key Points:

• Integration of running technology into hiking shoes.
• Emphasis on quality materials like leathers, suedes, and pigskin sourced locally.
• Small batch production allows for meticulous craftsmanship without the pressure of mass production.

Notable Quote:

• "We used fresher foam into the midsole comfort story. We're using that on our performance running shoes right now." – Sam Pierce [05:30]

5. New Balance's Unique Position in Sneaker Culture (09:43 – 11:24)

Lee Stewart and Sam Pierce discuss what sets New Balance Made in UK apart from other lines. The strategic decision to maintain production in the UK allows for faster market responsiveness and the use of high-quality European materials, avoiding the delays associated with importing from Asia or the US.

Notable Quotes:

• "We don't want to be the biggest, we want to be the best." – Lee Stewart [11:01]
• "We're able to do that because of our location and is here. We're not having to import it from Asia all the time or from the US." – Sam Pierce [10:24]

6. Favorite Shoes and Collaborations (12:05 – 16:01)

The hosts engage the guests in sharing their favorite New Balance models and collaborations.

• Lee Stewart highlights the 1300 JP Made in Japan as his most worn sneaker, praising its exceptional comfort.

  Quote:

  • "It's butter, man. It's incredible." – Lee Stewart [12:57]

• Sam Pierce mentions the 911 V2 as his favorite, noting its popularity even within the factory.

  Quote:

  • "Which is what I live in, basically. Well, till these." – Sam Pierce [13:59]

They also reminisce about legendary collaborations like the Crooked Tongues and exclusive releases, emphasizing the brand's rich heritage and limited-edition releases that have become cult favorites.

Notable Quote:

• "We were trying to find our feet again." – Sam Pierce [07:19]

7. State of Sneaker Culture in 2025 (18:00 – 23:34)

The discussion shifts to the current landscape of sneaker culture. Lee and Sam observe that sneaker culture has become mainstream, moving away from its "nerdy" roots. They stress the importance of quality and authenticity over flashy marketing and excessive collaborations.

Key Insights:

• Consumers are now more discerning, valuing product quality and brand authenticity.
• Sneaker fatigue is evident, with consumers seeking variety and functionality, such as the introduction of loafer-style sneakers.
• New Balance focuses on letting the product speak for itself, minimizing reliance on celebrity endorsements.

Notable Quotes:

• "The product becomes more important." – Lee Stewart [22:44]
• "Consumers are a lot smarter now. They don't like to be spoon fed." – Sam Pierce [22:17]

8. Bringing Streetwear Ethos to New Balance (23:34 – 25:23)

Lee Stewart shares his transition from streetwear to corporate life at New Balance. He brings traits like bluntness, conviction, resilience, and a commitment to authenticity, which align with New Balance's family-owned and independent culture. This blend fosters a genuine and focused approach to product development and marketing.

Notable Quotes:

• "Realness. Like, I like to do real things." – Lee Stewart [24:25]
• "New Balance is a family owned business. It's independent. We do things because we think they're important." – Lee Stewart [20:19]

9. Final Thoughts and Local Insights (25:23 – 31:10)

As the episode wraps up, the hosts engage the guests in a light-hearted discussion about Manchester's best pubs, reflecting the camaraderie and relaxed atmosphere of the conversation. They also touch upon the dedication and craftsmanship observed during their factory tour, reinforcing their appreciation for New Balance's commitment to quality.

Notable Quote:

• "All right, guys, it's time to ask you the last and most difficult question of the night. What is the best pub in Manchester?" – Jimmy [30:38]

---

Conclusion: In this episode of Throwing Fits, hosts Jimmy and Larry delve deep into the ethos of New Balance's Made in UK division with guests Lee Stewart and Sam Pierce. The conversation underscores New Balance's commitment to quality, authenticity, and maintaining a strong connection to its manufacturing roots in the UK. By focusing on craftsmanship and resisting the pressures of mass production, New Balance continues to carve out a unique space in the mainstream sneaker culture of 2025.

Notable Final Quote:

• "We see it speaking out for itself. We see it, we see it, we feel it." – Lee Stewart [26:06]

Transcript

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[Jimmy]

Manchester.

[Larry]

Have it.

[Jimmy]

Who wants some Chinese A up our kids, y'all right? Proper have here in Manchester.

[Larry]

Nailed it.

[Jimmy]

What's up, guys? I'm Jimmy.

[Larry]

I'm Larry.

[Jimmy]

Hey. We are here with Lee Stewart, the senior marketing manager for Europe, and Sam Pierce, creative design manager for New Balance. Made in uk. Guys, thanks for coming out.

[Lee Stewart]

Yeah, thanks for having us.

[Sam Pierce]

Our pleasure.

[Jimmy]

Sam, you owe us because you bailed on our co on our call earlier.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

Was up with that.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah.

[Larry]

I couldn't do five minutes on Zoom.

[Sam Pierce]

We're going one and done with this.

[Larry]

Thank you.

[Sam Pierce]

30 minutes, I'm done.

[Jimmy]

Yeah, well, both your jobs, both your job titles have a lot of words in them. What the hell do either of them mean? Lee. What? You go first. You're the new guy, so.

[Lee Stewart]

I am the new guy. I joined New Balance a year ago. My job entails being the bridge between the global marketing team and the marketing teams in Europe. So. Yeah, we have teams in all the countries in Europe.

[Jimmy]

Which country do you like the least? France.

[Lee Stewart]

Your words. No, no, no.

[Larry]

He likes everyone on the record.

[Lee Stewart]

I feel like I have great relationships with everyone.

[Jimmy]

Correct answer.

[Lee Stewart]

Yes.

[Larry]

That was a test. You passed.

[Sam Pierce]

You will go far.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

Sam, Creative design manager for New balance. Made in UK. That's 19 words. What the hell do you do?

[Sam Pierce]

It's a good question. It actually that is shortened, which is the longer version, but let's not go into that. Let's keep it very made in UK. So 30 minutes.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Sam Pierce]

I drive creative direction and new designs. A small team here, design team based out of the Manster Office and yeah, with a focus on Made in uk. My New Balance love.

[Jimmy]

When did you first fall in love with New Balance? Like, what was that moment?

[Sam Pierce]

Actually, growing up as a kid, sports was very much the driver for the 1990s. And Michael Jordan, Andre Agassi. It wasn't till Sneaker Freaker magazine came out. I think maybe like the third magazine, there was this article about New Balance, Made in UK and Flimby. And that was the first time a sneaker brand felt like I was close to it. Because obviously all the brands are US based, Made in Asia.

[Larry]

So they're giving everyone a factory tour, ourselves included.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, yeah. Anybody come along?

[Jimmy]

For real? The factory tour is fucking sick for anyone that has a chance. If you ever find yourself in Flimby for whatever reason, hit the Factory.

[Sam Pierce]

But don't feel you won't. But you're very lost if you've gone there for anything else.

[Jimmy]

So it really was the British production, the. The being home to you, that felt. That's when you felt connected to it.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, definitely. Like I said, it felt like all the other brands were driving from America. And that was the one thing that felt like from a UK perspective, that I was. I could be part of and play into and feel connected to. And I'm sure, like a lot of people feel the same in that sense.

[Jimmy]

What about you, Lee? When do you fall in love with the brand?

[Lee Stewart]

For me, it was also early 2000s though. It was Sneaker Freaker and Crooked Tongues. Those guys were invited to Flimby and they got a chance to make their own, to walk away with their own.

[Larry]

Oh, wow.

[Lee Stewart]

Custom pair.

[Lawrence]

We did not.

[Lee Stewart]

Made from scraps and stuff. And I was like, yo, I need to visit one day. Like, that's incredible. They make shoes. They make sneakers in the uk. What, and people walk away with their custom pair? Nah, I have to visit. And yeah, I guess that. That planted the seed, you know?

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah.

[Larry]

Amazing.

[Jimmy]

Well, we are here to celebrate the new Allerdale model.

[Sam Pierce]

Are these sneakers? You pronounced it perfectly.

[Jimmy]

Yeah. Okay. Are these sneakers or shoes?

[Sam Pierce]

Well, I'm going shoe.

[Jimmy]

Okay.

[Sam Pierce]

But it's got New Balance. Kind of got a history in this. Back in 1982. 82. We designed a new hiking shoe for Lou Whitaker, who was the first American to go up Mount Everest.

[Larry]

Famous ad.

[Sam Pierce]

Yep.

[Larry]

You couldn't pay me to wear these shoes at Mount Everest, I believe.

[Sam Pierce]

Yes. There we go.

[Jimmy]

It's in the reception room of the factory. That's how we know.

[Sam Pierce]

That's how you know the first thing.

[Larry]

You see when you go to Flint.

[Lee Stewart]

Yo, Lawrence knows his reed.

[Sam Pierce]

I was like, tell.

[Jimmy]

Contrary to popular belief, Lawrence is literate.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

For the record.

[Sam Pierce]

But basically, hiking boots and climbing shoes have been the same for 100 years. And new Balance flipped the script and started using their running technology in it, using foams, using meshes to create something lighter and more durable. And so this, we've done the same. We've put fresh foam into the midsole comfort story. We're using that on our performance running shoes right now. So, you know, there's a crossover between sports shoe and walking shoe, but we used a very, like, formal shaped last. So, yeah, definitely leaning into that walking.

[Jimmy]

And how heavily will these be towers for US customers now that we're in a trade war?

[Larry]

Yeah, you wanted to get political, you said. Right? You said you get political.

[Sam Pierce]

Definitely your answer.

[Lee Stewart]

I think we're keeping it light today, but yeah, I mean, ask your president.

[Larry]

Worth every penny.

[Jimmy]

Okay, I'll tweet at him.

[Lee Stewart]

You know, it might work. He might get back.

[Jimmy]

Yeah, sorry, I'll exit him. Or wait, just real quick.

[Larry]

What's the process like, just in a nutshell, of creating something like this from scratch?

[Sam Pierce]

Well, I kind of got obsessed with the new balance of history in walking maybe 10 years ago. And I've been pushing for something like this because it's very authentic to us. The brand started in 1906 and basically did orthotics. So the whole story of the brand was walking.

[Larry]

It was before they invented running. 1906.

[Sam Pierce]

Exactly.

[Larry]

People walked everywhere, walked, crawled slower back then.

[Sam Pierce]

Um, so it was really an opportunity for us to tell that story and jump off the fact. We did a whole walking line in the 80s and 90s, too, and kind of. Which was also made in the UK in those factories. So it's like a continual thing, but also a bit of an education piece which can nerd over.

[Jimmy]

I mean, you've been trying to get the Allerdale chewing the New balance rotation for 10 years. What the fuck took you so long?

[Sam Pierce]

New Balance has been hot the last five, but before that it was. It was, you know, we were trying to find our feet again.

[Jimmy]

Okay.

[Larry]

No pun intended.

[Jimmy]

Is that a. Is that a sneaker joke? Is it going to take.

[Sam Pierce]

You wrote that one down earlier.

[Jimmy]

Is it going to take you 10 years to design the next model?

[Sam Pierce]

Maybe. Maybe.

[Larry]

Damn. He's milking it, guys.

[Mr. Moore]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

How are you going to celebrate on drop night?

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, I've done this a long time. I've been here. I've been at new balance 15 years I don't know. Celebration is.

[Larry]

And you've made one shoe in 15 years.

[Sam Pierce]

I hope not.

[Larry]

How are you going to celebrate?

[Lee Stewart]

I'm just going to be in bed, man. Honestly. Yeah, Yeah. I have two kids. I have another one underwater way. Let me chill.

[Jimmy]

Do you sleep with the rings on?

[Lee Stewart]

I do not sleep with the rings on. I take them off to wash my hands.

[Larry]

But the grills are perms. We found that out early. Those are permanent.

[Lee Stewart]

It's facts.

[Larry]

Hell yeah.

[Jimmy]

So we just got back from Flimby. As you can tell, we're just propping. Not good. And we did get to tour the New Balance being UK factory. We came away with like a lot of perspective gained and honestly appreciation and like for like the craft and the. Even though it's, you know, machines and systems like the, the. The soul that goes into it. What, like when you got. What do you come away with whenever you visit the area and you get to interact with the folks making the actual shoes?

[Sam Pierce]

Well, I go every two weeks, so.

[Jimmy]

Oh my God.

[Sam Pierce]

Like.

[Lee Stewart]

I, I just interact with a few of the people there.

[Jimmy]

Yeah.

[Lee Stewart]

I try to let the people that are just actually making the shoes just do their thing. Obviously they're all knowledgeable. Some of them have a long history. You know, there's generations of people working there. But the feeling that I walk away with is just like, you know, pride, pride. Like I work for this company and there's a whole community of people really working there. It's. It's beautiful to see how important the factory is for the area and also how much we value it as a company. I think that's really, really special. The dedication to domestic, domestic manufacturing.

[Jimmy]

There's a woman just like making sure every eyelet is perfect.

[Lee Stewart]

Literally. Yeah.

[Jimmy]

For years now.

[Lee Stewart]

Yes.

[Jimmy]

It's inspiring, inspiring stuff.

[Sam Pierce]

She's also very good at it.

[Larry]

Yeah, they're. They're perfect circles from what I saw today.

[Jimmy]

Can you guys tell us what sets New Balance Band in UK product apart from the rest of New Balance product that we know and love?

[Lee Stewart]

Go for it.

[Jimmy]

Besides the price point.

[Sam Pierce]

Well, we moved. The fact. Well, we opened the factory in the UK when at that time it was common to move all your production to Asia because it was cheaper. But Jim Davis decided that by having it here we could be quicker to market changes and shifting in trends, style, things like that, which made sense at the beginning. But as time's gone on, what we've learned is that we can really utilize the location of the factory to use the materials that Europe's famous for. So our leathers, suedes, nubucks, pig skin.

[Larry]

As they call it.

[Sam Pierce]

Pig skin. We're using the same supplies there as the high end brands. We're able to do that because of our location and is here. We're not having to import it from Asia all the time or from the us. We can really focus in on like what Europe does best because we're based here. And that to me is the main thing that, that sets us aside in terms of a, a product point of view.

[Jimmy]

So like logistics and shit.

[Sam Pierce]

Oh yeah.

[Jimmy]

Could have just said that it's a.

[Larry]

Good shoe, it's a quality shoe.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, I didn't. The short answer I'll go with.

[Jimmy]

What about you, Lee?

[Lee Stewart]

Yeah, I mean all New Balance is quality, you know.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Lee Stewart]

So that was the thing they kept.

[Jimmy]

Preaching at the factory was quality before quantity.

[Lee Stewart]

Yeah, yeah. We want to be the best. That's, that's the whole New Balance thing. We don't want to be the biggest, we want to be the best. And in Flimby, I feel like there's less pressure to be bigger. We just do what we think is important and we've been doing it for a long time there.

[Sam Pierce]

And yeah, I think that's why we can do something like the Allerdale and, you know, let it breathe and be its own thing. Because we don't have the same pressures of making a million pairs a week. We have to blast out. We can really take our time.

[Jimmy]

Right.

[Sam Pierce]

And like manifest on what the design needs to be and the materials.

[Larry]

We heard some numbers very limited.

[Sam Pierce]

Very, very limited.

[Jimmy]

Was also like, get what you can. When they got the new model, the Allerdale, they're like, look, don't. You're not trying to hit quota on day one. You got to learn how to make it.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

So like it doesn't matter how many you make week one, then week two, we're closer. Then week three, we're closer than week four. We're hitting like actual quotas and production numbers, which was like very not, not factory. Didn't expect to hear that from a factory.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, I think the, like, you got to look at it. It's like small batch really. If you compare it to the way manufacturing is, factories. Like take Ford back when they invented that kind of production line and the Ferrari was still making it by hand. We've kind of got this weird thing in the industry where we got this such like pirate ship of a factory kind of doing its own thing and making things still very much traditional.

[Larry]

You're the Ferrari of shoes. Is what you just said.

[Sam Pierce]

You can take that quote.

[Jimmy]

The Jaguar of shoes.

[Larry]

Jaguar.

[Jimmy]

I don't know if those are good cars are still or not.

[Larry]

Aston Martin.

[Sam Pierce]

And there we go. We're in the right ballpark now.

[Jimmy]

Rolls Royce. Oh, yeah, there it is.

[Larry]

We can name more cars. We can kill Span. Bentley. Yeah, there we go.

[Jimmy]

Let's turn the spotlight on you guys real quick. All right, let's turn the heat up. Besides the Allerdale, what is your most worn sneaker?

[Lee Stewart]

Last couple years, I'm gonna say 1300 JP. Made in Japan.

[Larry]

Oh, what's it made in Japan? New Balance.

[Jimmy]

Like.

[Lee Stewart]

Nah, it's really like. It's butter, man. It's incredible. Like, it's. It's incredible. Yeah. I don't know how to describe.

[Larry]

I think New Balance has my address, so.

[Jimmy]

Yeah.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Sam Pierce]

I can't even get them.

[Lee Stewart]

I mean, we make the 1300 JP once every five years, and this year is that year.

[Sam Pierce]

But this is something that, like, New Balance is still independent and not like a board of directors. So we can still like, push these sort of narratives. And that 1300 JP is like once every five years, one cull away. And then you gotta wait five years for the next drop. And so, you know, so it's completely out there.

[Jimmy]

But that stands on your pace. What about you, Sam? What's your most worn sneaker?

[Sam Pierce]

911 V2.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Sam Pierce]

Which.

[Larry]

People seem really hype on the V2, even at the factory.

[Jimmy]

Made in UK, right?

[Sam Pierce]

Made in UK. That was what I was doing before.

[Larry]

The Allerdale decided that one improving on the original 991.

[Sam Pierce]

Well, yeah, so, yeah, that's what I live in, basically. Well, till these.

[Jimmy]

And it sounded like the 991 V2 is so successful that they're like. Like retrofitting the 990. Sorry, the 992 V1 to kind of like. Right. Sorry. Is that. Am I not.

[Sam Pierce]

You're close.

[Jimmy]

Okay.

[Larry]

A lot of numbers.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, there is a lot of numbers. But yeah, you're right. That V1 can't just come back and coexist with it.

[Larry]

Right.

[Sam Pierce]

Figure out a way to plan both at the same time. Because the V2 is doing big numbers for us.

[Jimmy]

What's your favorite New Balance collaboration of all time? So you mentioned the Crooked tongues.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, that was a big one for me.

[Lee Stewart]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you go.

[Sam Pierce]

Well, I was just saying because back then a collaboration was 97 pairs total. Like, that's. Imagine that now a shoe coming out that. That Release. We're talking 10.

[Larry]

I don't want to imagine that because it means I can't get it.

[Sam Pierce]

And that's how much the industry's changed. Like, sneakers was very nerdy back then. Now it's become this big commercials for dragis. And it's so weird to think that the numbers were that tiny.

[Lee Stewart]

But yeah.

[Larry]

Crooked tongues.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, Crooked Tongues. One of my favorite ones wasn't even a collaboration. It was like a Kawasaki. Yes. The green. So rare.

[Jimmy]

Those are sick, dude.

[Sam Pierce]

And they came out just for like a small team, made very few pairs, and it sort of became very. It became legendary within the industry because people were talking about this Kawasaki Ninja993 and no one really knew why. And it's never really come out. And I kind of like it like that. Till these were made.

[Jimmy]

Any pairs on StockX?

[Sam Pierce]

Honestly, some of those old pairs because the numbers were so small on production, you know, selling for £10,000 ago. It's insane money to go back to.

[Larry]

That factory, pull a little heist, grab that right shoe off the wall.

[Jimmy]

One shoe. One shoe.

[Sam Pierce]

That's how we thought about it.

[Larry]

Yeah.

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[Lee Stewart]

Let's go.

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[Lee Stewart]

Brad, you're on mute.

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[Sam Pierce]

Like 24.

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[Lawrence]

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[Lee Stewart]

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[Jimmy]

Favorite collaboration of all time.

[Lee Stewart]

So I. I got the chance to collaborate with New Balance a couple times at Para, but also I Don't know. As a consultant, I don't know. I had a project on a 920, and for me, that shoe feels incredible still. Like, when I wear it, I'm like, man, that's one of my proudest moments. The 920MTA in the brown.

[Sam Pierce]

Right.

[Lee Stewart]

Gray with the MTA blue. Yeah.

[Larry]

Biased is what you're saying.

[Lee Stewart]

I'm totally biased. Of course.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

That's my one you work on, is your favorite. Wow.

[Lee Stewart]

Listen, listen. It's not. Listen, I'm very critical of myself. I'm very critical of what I do. Like, there's not a lot of things that I've done where I'm like, man, that's really good. But that MTA one, really good. Incredible. I'm telling you.

[Jimmy]

And did you know that as a.

[Lee Stewart]

Over street market exclusive. Oh, gone instantly. I'm very proud of the campaign. I worked on it with friends. It speaks to New balance that they gave me that chance to just do it, you know, they thought it was a good. They had a vision, it was a good idea. Good idea, and. Yeah, amazing.

[Sam Pierce]

And they gave you a job and a good job.

[Larry]

That's the ultimate co sign. They poached you.

[Lee Stewart]

You know, maybe. Maybe that's how it went. There's a few years between, but yeah, it happened.

[Larry]

I mean, if you fucked them up and it was a trash shoe, I don't think you're sitting in.

[Lee Stewart]

I don't think I'm sitting in this seat if I fuck them up.

[Larry]

Yeah, we'll never know.

[Lee Stewart]

We'll never know. Because I didn't miss. Because I made an amazing shoe.

[Jimmy]

Yes. All right, real quick. While we have the big brain sitting here with us, we need a sneaker culture. State of the Union in 2025. Can you describe this current moment in sneaker culture that we're living in right now?

[Larry]

It's less nerdy. We got that. Yeah, Check that box. It's gone a little mainstream, too. Mainstream?

[Jimmy]

What are, like, the broad strokes that you like describing? Broad strokes? Just like.

[Larry]

I mean, it's get critical.

[Lee Stewart]

It's any man's guess at this point, right? Like, I don't even really focus on what's going on outside because we should be focused on what we do and again, just be the best at that, you know, so you don't want to.

[Larry]

Be influenced by other stuff or think.

[Lee Stewart]

I think, you know, we're trying to be focused on our craft. We're trying to be craftspeople, you know, we're trying to be really, really good at what we do. And that means we don't have to look at others. We're not in competition. I don't feel like we just do what we do really well.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

So is it, is it a focus or refocus back on the product and letting that speak for itself almost.

[Lee Stewart]

For me, that's, that's the appeal of New Balance. New Balance does the best footwear and that product speaks for itself. We don't have to do like crazy slimy marketing tactics, right?

[Larry]

Celebrity endorsements that mean nothing. That kind of shit. I said it. It's cool.

[Lee Stewart]

I said I love all our ambassadors.

[Larry]

No, we have really, obviously. I just mean like, they all come from a real, like a true place in terms.

[Lee Stewart]

Yeah, they make sense. We really always take like a boutique approach. We don't work with anyone just because they have the follower numbers or anything. They really have to, you know, we have to have shared values. New Balance is a family owned business. It's independent. We do things because we think they're important. So we align with people that share our values. And it's not a numbers game in that sense.

[Larry]

People forget Kim Kardashian sold sketchers. Like, that's what I'm trying to say.

[Lee Stewart]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy]

The ones that plump your butt.

[Larry]

Yeah. So maybe that didn't.

[Jimmy]

Did they?

[Lee Stewart]

Oh, wow, that's.

[Larry]

I don't know.

[Sam Pierce]

That's a.

[Jimmy]

No. It's just, it's just bullshit.

[Larry]

It's a lie like everything else.

[Jimmy]

Secret culture, State of the Union.

[Sam Pierce]

Well, things are going more formal and that's maybe that may be a little bit of like sneaker fatigue.

[Jimmy]

Sneaker, loafer.

[Sam Pierce]

And sneaker fatigue to me doesn't mean like people are just don't care about sneakers anymore. Like, I'm in this because I love it, but people want other options. And I think that's where like the Aladale comes in, the loafer comes in. I think we've seen some stuff recently with boat shoes now are kind of like making a bit of a play.

[Larry]

So that's against all odds.

[Jimmy]

Personally.

[Sam Pierce]

Personally not my thing either, but. But you can see that happening. I think what New Balance have is we have this great history that we haven't really spoken about a lot over the years. So the last five years we've been bringing back retros that people think of like brand new models. And so it really allows us to like just put the stuff out that we think is right. But it really makes a big impact because people are seeing it for the first time even though they came out 30 years ago, 20 years ago. So we're kind of having like a free run of being like, banger, banger, banger, which is great. You know, we finally had a voice to figure out, like, what we want to.

[Larry]

People think you sign them all, but they're just from the closet.

[Sam Pierce]

Just my. My name on all of them.

[Jimmy]

What do you think the sneaker culture is moving on from and leaving behind a lot, I hope.

[Larry]

Yeah. Where to begin?

[Sam Pierce]

Where to begin? I think consumers are a lot smarter now. Like, they don't like to be spoon fed. They like to figure things out for themselves. They want to see real value in, like, the marketing story. They want to understand the history. And I think that that's really the key, and I think that's one of the biggest learnings.

[Jimmy]

I think their bullshit detectors are pretty, definitely pretty key to.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, yeah.

[Larry]

Red flags everywhere.

[Sam Pierce]

Yes.

[Lee Stewart]

The product becomes more important.

[Larry]

Exactly.

[Jimmy]

Or like collaborate. I mean, I think we are seeing less like just dumbass collaborations that are clearly just like a cash grabber. Hopefully just like a marketing ploy.

[Sam Pierce]

Mm.

[Jimmy]

Feels like it.

[Lee Stewart]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

What do you think?

[Lee Stewart]

No, I. I think I agree. I think I agree with that.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah.

[Larry]

You're like, how many collabs am I working on right now?

[Lee Stewart]

No, no, we don't work on.

[Larry]

No, no, no. Another test passed with flying colors.

[Jimmy]

But the. So the consumer has gotten just a lot smarter. A lot, like, savvier.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah.

[Lee Stewart]

There's so much. You could find everything on the Internet. All the knowledge is there, you know, like, if you find what you like, you can go super deep down that rabbit hole and. Yeah. Not fall for the okie doke.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah. Things can get completely oversaturated, so you really got to find someone that's going.

[Larry]

To cut through a lot of noise out there.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

Lee, as someone who spent many, many years in the streetwear trenches during your time at PETA, what are you bringing over to your relatively new career at New Balance Main uk?

[Lee Stewart]

Okay, so what I bring is, like.

[Jimmy]

Specifically from, like, that era and time that you spent at. At one of the go Streetwear brands.

[Lee Stewart]

Certain bluntness.

[Jimmy]

Yes, please.

[Lee Stewart]

Conviction, resilience.

[Larry]

You've killed your job interview, dude. For sure.

[Lee Stewart]

Yeah, some. You know, I'm not gonna say authenticity, but realness. Like, I like to do real things. We don't. I don't like. So we're trying to cut that out all the time.

[Jimmy]

Would your bluntness and no tactics work in other corporations or only in, like, small, independent places?

[Lee Stewart]

I don't think they would work at other corporations, but New Balance Again, family owned business. You feel it. It permeates the whole company culture. And it is actually quite similar to Pata in ways. Obviously, the scale of it is, you know, a very different beast. I had to get used to that. But, yeah, it's very real.

[Jimmy]

What about, like, coming from streetwear, what are you hoping to leave behind?

[Lee Stewart]

You know, just struggling for the budget.

[Larry]

Okay. He's a bott guy.

[Lee Stewart]

All right. We plan. We plan. You know, we plan for budgets here. That's a. That's.

[Jimmy]

That's different than that.

[Lee Stewart]

That's. That's the difference, I think.

[Jimmy]

You know, I guess all street. We're really.

[Larry]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy]

With the money.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, yeah.

[Larry]

Streetwear could learn a lot.

[Lee Stewart]

Tough out there, man. Yeah.

[Jimmy]

So, like, from a marketing standpoint, what is actually resonating with customers these days when it comes to connecting with product? And don't say some bullshit like storytelling and authenticity. What is actually like, moving the needle, man.

[Lee Stewart]

You took the words right out of my mouth. I was going to say storytelling, and I was literally, people will connect a good product. We love it when. When the product speaks for itself, when it's not sold to them. We show the product and. And what it stands for in our minds, and they connect to that and we see it, we feel it. That's the feedback we get from people.

[Larry]

If you build it, they will come type of thing.

[Jimmy]

Right.

[Larry]

Just good shoe and people want a good shoe.

[Lee Stewart]

Yeah.

[Jimmy]

So it's almost like counter programing to just the huge noise that we were seeing in sneakers and menswear of a few years ago. Like, it's actually just the good shit will. Will win out.

[Lee Stewart]

I think so. I think we're on the right track. I mean, we're successful. Oh, yeah. You had one earlier. You said, something takes the soul out of it. And I was like, oh, I see what you did.

[Jimmy]

I can't turn it off. My brain is broke. Please help me.

[Lee Stewart]

Please.

[Jimmy]

You guys got healthcare here, right? Sam, how big is your legendary New Balance archive?

[Sam Pierce]

Just shoes or all the other shit?

[Larry]

Because all the other shit too. Yeah, fuck it.

[Lee Stewart]

I want to know.

[Sam Pierce]

This must be about 300 pairs of shoes.

[Larry]

It's not bad.

[Sam Pierce]

50. Yeah. Well, none of its collaboration stuff is all old, so it's all like 1930s up to 1930s sneakers back then. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So u balance is old, man. It's like, clearly it's 50 years older than most other sports.

[Larry]

World War II.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, like 300 pairs of shoes.

[Larry]

Can you wear them?

[Sam Pierce]

A shoe from the 30s, you could well, yeah, actually, because there's no. The foam's. Most of the stuff that degrades, you know. So back then it was all leather, so.

[Jimmy]

So they've actually stuck around.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy]

It's like synthetic, so there you go.

[Sam Pierce]

Still use. Well, probably not usable, but yeah. Also, people's feet were tiny and slim back then. I was like, I don't know what happened in the last year.

[Jimmy]

They're malnourished.

[Larry]

You got depression shoes, dude.

[Jimmy]

Yeah, they're eating beans.

[Larry]

Yeah, they love their beans here.

[Jimmy]

Be careful what you say.

[Lee Stewart]

I want to know about the other stuff, though. You have all these memorabilia.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, I've got like 30 caps. But new Balance has done so many marketing things over the years, especially out of Japan. There's just like weird and wonderful type stuff. Chairs, chairs, canes.

[Larry]

Is this in a storage unit or at your house? And does your wife want to divorce you?

[Sam Pierce]

It's all in my house. And my. Well, we once had Aurally come and visit and shoot and take a look at all the sick. All the stuff, and they took a load of shots and she was pretty annoyed because they were taking shots that weren't just on of like, just the collection. So, yeah, things got creative.

[Jimmy]

Japanese people in our home.

[Sam Pierce]

I've had that with Stone island as well. Just she comes back home and like, yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy]

Why is. Why are all these Italians vaping in.

[Larry]

My home if, God forbid, your home was on fire? What's the one piece from your collection you would save? What is like the one grail?

[Sam Pierce]

I've got a original pair of 990s from 1982 that still has the hundred dollar tag on it because that was the first shoe for that price. And that's probably the.

[Jimmy]

Thanks. Inflation.

[Sam Pierce]

Yeah, probably the one I'm going for.

[Jimmy]

Okay, wait, and is the archive, like, do you use that for creative inspiration or is it just that you're a hoarder with a mental illness?

[Sam Pierce]

Well, bit of both.

[Jimmy]

Yeah.

[Larry]

Yeah, yeah. The answer is yes.

[Sam Pierce]

I would. I would say wheelie. I'm not like a sneaker head in that sense.

[Larry]

Thank God. We might be talking to you if you were.

[Sam Pierce]

Dude, that's a good point, but definitely a student of the game in terms of wanting to nerd over the history. And I kind of do that with anything, whether it's buying old record players or whatever. It is like, understanding that history and to design a new shoe. I always felt like the New Balance. I wanted to understand the history and the culture of it first before putting my own mark on it, because really What I'm designing now and the brands designing now will be the archive shoes in another 20, 30 years that we'll do bring backs on. So you kind of got to play that game and make sure that everything you put out is that quality, right, that speaks to the brand.

[Jimmy]

So the hiking shoes and the trail running shoes from the 70s and 80s, do you have that in your archive? And you went back to that to creatively begin the process of designing the shoe?

[Sam Pierce]

100% had them all out on the table, bought them into the office, sort of discussed it with senior leadership and yeah, kind of designed from there. Took some of those lines, some of those details and, you know, just. Just things like the tread on the bottom linked back to that early. That early hiking shoe, that aggressive thing that well done, Whitaker would have climbed Everest in.

[Jimmy]

So we survived three hail storms in these.

[Larry]

We did.

[Sam Pierce]

I saw some footage of you guys on the beach.

[Lee Stewart]

The results, though, very painful.

[Larry]

We owe you our life. You saved our life.

[Jimmy]

Honestly, Dud, everything was soaked feet dry as a bone.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Sam Pierce]

Hey, that's what we do. Performance made in UK quality right there.

[Jimmy]

And also, I just want to say your wife sounds like a very patient woman.

[Larry]

Yeah, true.

[Jimmy]

All right, guys, it's time to ask you the last and most difficult question of the night. What is the best pub in Manchester?

[Larry]

Where are we going for the afters?

[Lee Stewart]

Listen, it's my first time in Manchester. I know I don't know a lot about Manchester. I know that Flawed does great wines.

[Jimmy]

Flawed. Thank you.

[Larry]

Flawed.

[Jimmy]

Shout out.

[Larry]

Flawed for the juice and lubricated tonight.

[Sam Pierce]

Sam, this is probably one for the audience. Really? I feel like those guys are going to.

[Larry]

You got none of this question. We're not talking to them.

[Jimmy]

What's best club in Manchester?

[Sam Pierce]

Yes, that's what I was gonna say.

[Larry]

Well, how convenient.

[Jimmy]

Castle. What's the one next door here? This one is like legendary. Right?

[Lee Stewart]

Hey, you.

[Sam Pierce]

Want some karaoke, man? All day, every day.

[Larry]

All right.

[Jimmy]

Karaoke at 10:05pm after we wrap up here. Thank you, New Balance. Thank you, Hip. Thank you, Flawed. Thank you to the whole staff that made this night possible. Thank you to you guys. And thank you. Everything came out.

[Larry]

Thank you, guys, everyone.

[Jimmy]

Thank you, guys.

[Larry]

For yourselves.

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