990v3: Seeking a Sequel
990v3: a modern spiritual sequel
Sequels… an easy thing to make but a hard thing to get right. Success, it’s a double edged sword sometimes. One minute you’re watching The Matrix in a hotel room in ‘99, mind blown, questioning the very reality around you. The next? You’re watching Matrix Reloaded with 300 Agent Smith’s fighting one Keanu Reeves wondering where it all went wrong. What happened to the complexity? Same thing happened with Superman in the 70’s. Great first and second movie. Bald Gene Hackman? Genius. The rest? … Yeesh. And don’t even get me started on Robocop. All of these sequels were usually made to cash in on the original movies’ success. But rarely were these sequels made with the same care and standards as the initial movie.
Every so often a movie like Godfather comes around. Legendary movie with a legendary sequel. If you look hard enough on the internet you can find debates on which one of the two movies is better. I actually like the Godfather II more than the first Godfather. Maybe you disagree with me on that one though and I wouldn’t blame you. A better example is probably Star Wars… The Original. There’s real debate on whether Star Wars is better than Empire Strikes Back. I’m team Empire. I guess I’m just trying to say that there are worthy sequels out there.
M990GY3: Searching for success
So, I guess you’re now wondering what this all has to do with shoes? I know I would be. Well at the end of my last column I posed the question on what could possibly be next for New Balance in this modern landscape. My opinion? It’s the 990v3. My claim is that the 990v3 is the modern day sequel to the 992. And if we’re comparing the 992 with the v3… I feel like the v3 is Godfather II… or Empire — whatever floats your boat. I pose that the v3 isn’t just a worthy successor… It can even be argued that it’s better…
(Let me just get it out of the way here. I know very well that the 993 succeeded the 992 in 2008. I’m discussing the modern landscape of New Balance and what was next for them after this current retro of the 992 — lets call the v3 a “spiritual successor.”)
I’m going to introduce two theories in this column. I’m not going to spend a lot of time going over the 10 year history of the 990v3 — I’m not confident that I can accurately assess the history of something I wasn’t there for. If you read my last column you know my collecting began with the v5, and even though I took some time out to mention the history of the 992, the history of the v3, on the other hand, is a little more… forgotten. I’ll come back to that later, for now; my first theory.
The 990v3: the central prong in the Modern Trident of NB footwear
Over the last two years the market has seen an intense demand for New Balance silhouettes. The 992 was the initial spear that broke the sound barrier for the brand. It showed consumers that there was something to see. Since the release of the Todd Snyder Anniversary 992, New Balance have placed their prized spear back in the vault ready for its next needed moment. But New Balance weren’t going to stop at just one attack. This time, they needed a new weapon. One to spear the market again. What was it going to be?
Well, I believe it’s a trident. With the 992, it was a singular focused effort to make its mark on the modern market. It forced people to take notice. This time with our trident, however, it’s not just one model — it’s 3 of them marauding the market with their many silhouettes.
Welcome to my Modern Trident theory.
So, what shoes are we talking about here? 990v3 is my first choice. I argue that this is the central prong within the trident. And our only made in USA model within it. 992’s blew the door open and the v3 walked in and made itself at home. My evidence for this claim is long and complex, so I’m going to try and keep it brief.
One of the big reasons is the numerous collaborations we have already seen with the v3. These collaborations have been a success — but not to the same degree as the 992. There is varied reasons for why the success has not been as profound for the v3 as it was for the 992.
Covid and the supply chain issues around the pandemic helped the 992’s success as much as it hindered the true potential of the v3. If the supply chain issues were not there the v3 could have been pushed harder. Like the 992 was.
There were also a lot more regional 992 releases, with smaller runs compared to the v3. Which affects resale prices. For instance, the Joefreshgoods and the WTAP’s 992’s were incredibly limited regional releases. And the timing of their release skyrocketed resale prices. And with how expensive these 992’s are, there’s really nothing else that can come close to their popularity.
Most 990v3’s have seen releases outside of America. JFG’s 990v3: “Outside Clothes” even saw pairs reach Australian shores. Indicating a widespread release. This could be a big factor to why the resale prices are higher on the 992’s than with the 990v3. If there’s more to buy, it can drive the price down. But is that how we judge shoes these days? Resale value? I don’t think I do, but it’s worth mentioning.
But none of this means that the v3 has been unsuccessful. It just goes to show how much of a intense success the 992 was. No singular model can stand next to it. That’s why New Balance needed a trident. And the v3 was in that effort.
I could boringly go on debating which of the two has been more successful and why but that’s not the point. My theory is that the 992’s exit left a vacuum — one that the v3 has readily filled. No other made in USA model has had the same level of collaborative effort behind it. The v3 has had the most since the shelving of the 992. And if there was no pandemic, I speculate there could have been a lot more.
So, what’s the other two shoes? I’ll make this quick for you — it’s the 550 and the 2002r. I’m not even going to explain myself here because I will eventually write columns on both of these shoes, in fact, the 2002r will be my next one. All you need to know is that these are dominating the market sphere right now, and if you haven’t seen that — you haven’t been looking.
The trident has been spearing the market for the last year and it is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. The modern trident is a theory I will continue to revisit and strengthen, but for now — New Balance have acted like Poseidon with the market as their sea. And the trident — their new weapon of choice.
M990JG3: “Outside Clothes.” — a controversial success
So, mythology out of the way, my second theory: the grey model theory.
Back in my first column, I told a story about how it took me 2 years to get a grey 992 at retail. Originally, the whole column was supposed to be about the 992 and the v3. But I decided there was already way too much content for just one article and made it two. There was a similar story about how I copped my M990GY3. It’s essentially the exact same story as the 992. The Aussie boutiques raffled the v3 from the version series (M990VS3) at $380 and then a couple of months later raffled the GY3 at $330 AUD. Both sold out instantly across 3 separate boutiques. 6 L’s for me. Which led to months of hunting. Eventually find someone on eBay selling the GY3 at retail. Monday, Tuesday, Happy Days.
What’s the point of me telling that story especially since it’s basically the exact same as the first one… well this is an article about sequels… But it also has to do with the grey model theory.
My metric for measuring how successful a silhouette within the brand is; how hard was it to get a grey model at retail price? Well, It took me 2 years to find the 992 and 8 months to find the v3. For the record, I’ve got every other grey model in my collection for retail or less from a store. The 992 and the v3 are the only grey model’s that I’ve had to hunt like they were a collaboration.
Grey is a popular colour within New Balance — the most. But they rarely are they at a stage where they are inaccessible unless you know where to go and who to go to. The only time it happens is when there’s hype or success behind it. The harder a grey version of a New Balance is to get, the more successful it is. That’s my metric and why I believe the v3 is our central prong within the trident.
I also want to mention something else. I have a friend who works in one of these boutiques. While the version series for the 990 anniversary was rolling out — a peculiar thing happened. If you know this release, you know that a Version 1, 2, 3 and then 4 dropped over a staggered release. The V1 and V2 990’s within the pack sat and I was able to get them at retail. My friend in the store said to me after I took the L on the v3 that people walked into the store — almost daily — to ask them when that v3 was coming in while the V1 and V2 sat staring them in the face. They never had any interest in those models. Their singular focus was the v3. They didn’t see any other grey shoes even though they were there. If that doesn’t indicate some sort of success for the grey model… I don’t know what does.
990v3: The Grey Model Theory
I recently had a great conversation and debate with Erik from the Achieve Balance Podcast over the 990v3. He mentioned in Episode 7 of his podcast that he did not think that the v3 was at a point of hype. Which if you’ve read the rest of this column up until this point you know I’m in stout opposition of his claim. A claim we had to agree to a stalemate on.
His position was that success had to be sustained within a model in order for it to achieve hype or a level of universal success. Which I agree with. Erik's position is also that the 550 and the 2002r are the most successful models right now and would say that there’s no pole position model for the made in USA’s. He sees that the made in USA/UK on the whole are popular not just the v3. I agree with Erik that the 550/2002r are the most popular models without a question. But I’m firmly of the belief that the v3 is the most popular made in USA.
Erik also said that his thoughts are subject to change. Why am I telling you about this? Well, I always think it’s good to state the other side of the story, and this time I didn’t really have to. Erik did it for us.
I need to quantify here that my optics are firmly from where I live. Over in the US the v3 might not have been this popular as I have made it out to be in this column. The basis for my claims are within the theories I have already discussed and from the lens of the Australian market. I will not say that the 990v3 is the most popular New Balance model out right now, it would either be the 550 or the 2002r but that rounds back to the trident — it not being just a one model effort to stimulate the market but three. Over in Australia, the v3 sells like hotcakes.
This is starting to get really long so I’m going to try and wrap this up. I’ll hit you with my personal thoughts on the the v3 since I’m sure you’re dying to know and then I’ll try and finish up. No promises though — you’ll come to learn that I love a good ramble. So, what’s the nb.titan think? Well, he thinks it’s probably one of the best models of New Balance there is.
When I started collecting New Balance after the initial haze of the 992 began to wane, the first two silhouettes that took my attention like no other were the 990v2 and the 990v3. Both of them were silhouettes I wanted as fast as I could get them in my collection. It didn’t take that long really. But if you asked me which I prefer out of the two, I wouldn’t know what answer I’d give you. But, ultimately, my answer would probably be something like the one I’m about to give. The grey v2 is probably my single favourite sneaker of all time. But I don’t think I actually like any other colour on it. The v3 though? That’s another story.
I own a couple of v3 collaborations, and in terms of versatility I think it’s one of the best. You throw denim on it? It looks great. Grey? Even better. Shades of brown? You betcha. A joker inspired version? Wow. I don’t think there is many bad takes on the silhouette. And it’s one of the most comfortable models. It even has a carbon plate in it. According to google that’s supposed to be pretty good. Now… look, I’m going to be honest… I’m not a connoisseur of materials. And I only have a middling knowledge of the tech and it’s benefits… and my foot is probably a weird shape since I give terrible sizing advice. So, I’m not going to bother saying that those tech items are what sold me on the v3. My decisions are purely aesthetic based. And usually are with any shoe unless there’s a story for me to care. I’m not the guy you want to read if you think you’re going to get anything other than philosophical sneaker musings here. I mean sure, comfort definitely matters as well, but aesthetics is key. For me, the only valid criticism of the model is that the toe looks a little too round. Which yep that’s a true one. But it doesn’t bother me and if I want something sharper in the toe I have 1500’s and grey v2’s to wear.
Last thing I’ll mention here is how the v3 has the forgotten anniversary. We are currently in its anniversary year. It’s 10 years since the original run dropped. And from what I have seen in the pipeline, I don’t think there’s any anniversary models for it coming up. But there are rumblings of anniversary models coming up for the 990v1 and for the Flimby Factory since both the Factory and the v1 are going through their 40th anniversaries. It’s a year of anniversaries for everyone. But when there’s so many birthdays, someone’s party is going to be forgotten. And it seems like the v3 drew the shortest straw.
Which is a peculiar thing to happen to a shoe these days. A brand usually jumps at any odd year as a reason to throw a party for the model and cram it down our throats. But not with this one. It’s especially perplexing since it’s one I’m trying to argue is one of the most popular right now within the brand. How can you be the most popular but have no one at your party? One of life’s little mysteries. Remember, it’s just my opinion. It’s my column after all. I don’t have all the answers all of the time. Only the questions. Maybe there’s going to be anniversary models down the road though that I haven’t seen — it’s completely likely. Those are words I’d be happy to eat.
New Balance have seen a renaissance with their 992 spear. One that has allowed them to unleash a more devastating three pronged attack on the market to sink their influence deeper into the ether. And with the 992 back in the vault someone had to take its place. Every Ohio Dad and London Supermodel needs their grey shoe. And it seems like they have chosen the v3… when they haven’t been too busy choosing the 2002r or the 550.
The 992 cast a long shadow one that couldn’t be followed up by a single model. And this is why our trident has struck so well. People wanted more and New Balance delivered it.
So has it lived up to everyone’s expectations? No, nothing ever can. It takes a different approach to make a sequel successful and in this case it was to replace one effort with three so more people got what they want… and something they didn’t even know they needed. But like I said, I’m a Godfather II fan. Maybe that makes me predisposed to liking a great follow up effort. But that being said there’s always going to be people who will never think it gets better than the original. And who’s to say they’re wrong? But the most important part… was this a worthy sequel? I’ll let you be the judge.
My thoughts about the trident will return but for now I’ll leave it there and say — hope to see you soon.