The New Balance 983 is available in Singapore at S$209, and if that chunky blue-grey pair looks familiar, it’s because New Balance’s latest press images put it on the feet of Winter of aespa.
You can buy it at newbalance.com.sg and New Balance stores. The real question for anyone already eyeing a 9060 or a 2010 is whether this new lifestyle model deserves a spot on the shoe rack, or whether it’s a K-pop-flavoured impulse buy.
Pods, Waves and One Big N
New Balance describes the 983 as a reimagination of 2000s performance running. It takes elements from classic New Balance models and rebuilds them into a silhouette the brand calls “wholly new and progressive”. In plain terms, it looks like a Y2K running shoe that has been redrawn with softer, rounder lines.
The details are easy to spot once you know where to look. Oval ABZORB SBS pods, which are New Balance’s visible cushioning units, sit in the sole. Wave-shaped mouldings run along the midsole and outsole, and rounded overlays curve across the upper. The classic “N” logo sits on the saddle, the panel that wraps across the middle of the shoe. New Balance Singapore’s product page lists the upper as mesh underlays with rounded synthetic overlays.
Highsnobiety called the shoe “space-age”. It singled out the bulbous overlays, the inflated-looking N and the curved sole, and noted that the 983 is deliberately not subtle. That’s a fair read. Where the 9060 leans on its archival roots, the 983 looks like someone took a 2003 runner and blew it up like a balloon animal. That’s either exactly your thing or a hard pass!
Winter’s Off-Duty Rotation
For anyone who doesn’t follow K-pop, Winter is a member of aespa, and New Balance’s Singapore team calls her a style trendsetter. According to the team, she has been spotted in the 983 as part of her off-duty wardrobe. The press shots show her in a studio wearing the shoe with a white New Balance Athletics cropped tee and black piped track pants, then switching to a matching black track jacket.
The styling choice makes sense. A sporty track set lets a loud sneaker do the talking, and the 983 has plenty to say. If you’ve been building a fit around baggy track pants, this is the pairing to copy.
Winter isn’t the face of the global launch campaign, though. That job goes to New Balance Ambassadors Coco Gauff and Aminé, whose campaign argues that style is never one-dimensional. “I love pieces that are fashion-forward but still easy to wear, and the 983 goes with any outfit,” says Coco.
Comfy, or Mostly Cute?
Early reviews are mostly kind to the 983, with one big caveat. Man of Many found it more streamlined and easier to style than the 9060 while keeping an aggressive midsole. Japanese outlet FashionSnap praised its soft collar and tongue in an editorial try-on. It added that the relatively slim toe keeps the shoe from looking too heavy, and it rated the 983 for walking and festivals as well as styling.
Spanish running site Runnea gave it 8/10 for comfort, durability and quality, while making clear it’s a street shoe rather than a training tool. On Reddit, one user in r/Newbalance said the 983 stayed comfortable through more than 20,000 steps a day in a warehouse for a week.
The cushioning gets mixed marks, though. Another Reddit user who tried a pair at a Foot Locker in the Philippines felt it lacked cushioning and preferred the ASICS Kayano 14. That’s awkward for a shoe whose whole look is built around visible cushioning pods, so try a pair on before you commit.
S$209 Against the Field
The 983 retails at S$209. The US list price is US$159.99.
The closest rival on looks is the Nike P-6000, a mash-up of earlier Pegasus designs with early-2000s running lines.
Should You Cop It?
The 983 is a lifestyle shoe. New Balance files it under Lifestyle, not running, so keep it for weekend walks, gigs and the office, and pick a proper trainer for your East Coast Park jogs.
It’s the best fit for anyone who likes the 9060 or 2010 but wants something slimmer and stranger. If you prefer a quieter retro runner, the 983’s cartoonish proportions will feel like too much. For the price of a nice dinner for two, it’s a fun statement piece, but only if you want a statement.
On sizing, New Balance Singapore’s product page lists unisex sizes in standard width only.
👟 Product: New Balance 983
💰 Price: S$209
📏 Sizes: US M4/W5.5 to US M13/W14.5, unisex, standard width (per New Balance Singapore’s product page)
🛒 Where to buy: newbalance.com.sg and New Balance stores in Singapore
If the 983’s balloon-like curves have you sold, head to newbalance.com.sg or your nearest New Balance store to try a pair. Winter’s track-set formula is waiting!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of New Balance.
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