Everything You Need To Know About The New Balance 327 Trainer

The New Balance 327 trainer is a hybrid, old meets new, running silhouette which draws inspiration from the New Balance 320 & the New Balance Super Comp from the 1970s.

There are so many iconic models from the Massachusetts brand that have already paid their dues as far as the trainer world is concerned. To be tasked with creating a New Balance trainer would surely be quite daunting to even the most experienced footwear designer. With numerous numeric named models, the New Balance footwear roster is one of a kind. From the 1500 to the 991, the New Balance story is simply about creating trainers that do what they are suppose to do. With the majority of models we are of course talking about running. NB's running heritage is far greater than any other sport. Yes they've also done a few court shoes as well as football boots, but running was always the mainstay. The New Balance 327 trainer might have only come on the scene back in 2020, but its heritage runs a lot deeper than catwalk gossip & Paris fashion week. Above: The New Balance 327 trainer now available form 80s Casual Classics. It was the Manchester based creative & designer, Charlotte Lee, that was tasked with designing the New Balance 327 trainer. When speaking to High Snobiety in 2021 about designing the 327 Charlotte said; 'When creating this shoe, I wanted to make sure I was inspired by the past, but in a completely different way than was done before. I don't want to create another shoe that looked like it was from the seventies.' Her words are clearly evident in the design of the 327. On one hand its clearly got the iconic running DNA from the 1970s. On the other hand it looks like nothing NB have ever released before. Merging the old with the new doesn't always work with trainers, but as far as the 327 is concerned this just isn't the case. Above: The New Balance 327 trainer now available form 80s Casual Classics. The design itself draws inspiration from New Balance 320 & the Super Comp, two original running styles that were released back in the 1970s. The 320 first came on the scene back in 1976 and was the very first model that not only used numbers for the name but also the iconic N logo. The 320 was an instant hit and was also voted the number one running shoe by Runner's World Magazine. The fact that Tom Fleming wore a pair of 320's when he won the New York Marathon in 1975 might have helped out a bit as well. The New Balance Super Comp from 1978 was geared up more for synthetic track and road use with its air sprung sole unit. The 327 clearly takes it sole design from the grippy rubber studded outsole of the Super Comp. Above: The New Balance 327 trainer now available form 80s Casual Classics. The old meets new NB trainer now arrives at 80s Casual Classics in a selection of OG inspired colourways. Featuring premium suede & mesh uppers inspired from the archives, the end result is a contemporary take on a classic. Highlights include the iconic N logo to the sidewalls & a super grippy studded rubber outsole courtesy of the 327. Shop the New Balance 327 trainer now at 80s Casual Classics via the links.