# British Craft-Celebratory Sneakers New Balance Honors a Flimby-Based Factory With Summer Nine Pack By Amy Duong | Published 2019-05-23 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/summer-nine References: [hypebeast](https://hypebeast.com/2019/5/new-balance-summer-nine-pack-770-1500-991-990v3-release) & [newbalance](https://www.newbalance.com/pd/770.9-made-in-uk/ML7709V1-27794-M.html?dwvar_ML7709V1-27794-M_color=Blue_with_Grey_and_Green&rrec=true#color=Blue_with_Grey_and_Green&width=D) New Balance introduced its latest Summer Nine pack dropped to honor the fine craft that is curated by its Flimby-based factory. It starts off the celebratory series with a selection of Made In UK launches. This features some inaugural footwear models that blend together hybrid designs, perfectly fusing both traditional and contemporary design. The pack features a 1500.9 sneaker, a 991.9, and the New Balance 770.9. All of the sneakers boast an upper that references its name directly. For example, the 1500.9 has a 1500 upper sitting atop a 990v3 sole unit as the foundation. This blends together recognizable silhouettes for natural results. The hybrid structures are constructed from a blend of pigskin suede paneling at the uppers with a color palette of blue against gray, black against gray, or pink as well. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.4/10 - Popularity: 18% | Activity: 15% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Shoes](https://www.trendhunter.com/shoes) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Hybrid Sneaker Designs:** The blend of traditional and contemporary design in sneaker hybrids presents opportunities for disruptive innovation in the footwear industry. - **Craft-celebratory Collections:** Creating limited-edition collections that honor fine craftsmanship can tap into the trend of exclusive and unique products, offering disruptive innovation in the fashion industry. - **Referencing Upper Designs:** Utilizing upper designs that directly reference the name of the sneaker model opens up opportunities for disruptive innovation in the branding and storytelling of footwear. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Footwear:** The hybrid sneaker designs showcased in the Summer Nine pack by New Balance highlight disruptive innovation opportunities within the footwear industry. - **Fashion:** Craft-celebratory collections like the Summer Nine pack have the potential to disrupt the fashion industry by offering unique and exclusive products. - **Branding:** Referencing upper designs in sneakers can bring disruptive innovation to the branding and storytelling strategies of footwear companies. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Summer-Ready Blue Lifestyle Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/celestial-blue.md) - [Vibrant Sportswear Lines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/made-in-usa-season-3.md) - [Stealthy Lifestyle Sneaker Models](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/1500-made-in-uk-1.md) - [00s-Inspired Metallic Sneaker Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/1906d.md) - [Earthy Tonal Lifestyle Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/made-in-usa-2.md) - [Summer-Ready Neutral Sneaker Sets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/1906-franchise.md) - [Festive New Year-Inspired Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/991-sneaker-3.md) - [Textural Collaborative Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/diamond-district-pack.md) - [Neon-Tinged Dynamic Lifestyle Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/1906a-neon-pack.md)