New Balance 920 Receives Bronze IDEA from IDSA

BOSTON, August 5, 2009 – New Balance announced today that the New Balance 920 water shoe received a 2009 Bronze IDEA (International Design Excellence Award) in the Personal Accessories category from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

The IDEA program is a premier international competition honoring design excellence in products, ecodesign, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts. An international jury of 20 world-renowned designers and academics chose the New Balance 920 shoe as one of the 72 Bronze award winners based on a set of judging criteria that focused on eight areas of industrial design excellence: design innovation; benefit to the user; benefit to the client/business; benefit to society; ecological responsibility; appropriate aesthetics and appeal; usability testing rigor and reliability (Design Research category); and internal factors and methods, implementation (Design Strategy category).

The 920 is New Balance’s first-ever water performance shoe, designed to easily transition the serious water enthusiast from water to trail. The shoe features a full length drainage system complete with the innovative H2Flowâ„¢ technology, through which small ports between the midsole and upper allow both water and sand to quickly drain from the shoe for a more comfortable fit. The 920 also offers a water resistant synthetic/mesh upper, a quick pull lacing system for easy on/easy off transition (complete with a lace garage), and a water specific Vibram® outsole for maximum ground contact, grip, and multi-directional traction in wet environments. The 920 comes in 3 colors for women, 2 for men and retails for $94.95.

“We are extremely proud that the 920 has been chosen for this award by the IDSA,” says Andrew Bjornson, design manager, pre-design/views. “The New Balance design team works diligently to provide innovative footwear. We are thrilled to be recognized for this award.”

As a result of receiving this prestigious award, the 920 will be featured on Businessweek.com and be given significant international coverage and exposure. In addition, the Industrial Designers Society of America’s (IDSA) annual Yearbook of Industrial Design Excellence, featuring in-depth coverage of the Gold winners and a complete listing of all honorees, will be distributed internationally to business executives, business schools, federal officials and designers.

All 150 winners with descriptions, photos and contacts are currently featured on BusinessWeek and IDSA’s web sites (www.idsa.org). The 920 is available now in participating retail stores. To find a retailer near you, please call 1.800.253.SHOE or visit www.newbalance.com.

About IDEA®
The IDEA® (International Design Excellence Awards) program fosters business and public understanding about the impact of industrial design excellence on the quality of life and the economy. Entries are invited from designers, students and companies worldwide. Since 1980, IDSA has been honoring design excellence via the IDEA Awards. IDEA was formerly known as the Industrial Design Excellence Awards. The name changed in 2007 to emphasize the international reach and influence of the competition.

About New Balance
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance employs more than 4000 people around the globe, and in 2008 reported worldwide sales of $1.64 billion. For more information please visit http://www.newbalance.com.



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