Initial Impressions, New Balance, Sneakers

New Balance 1906L: The Sneaker Loafer Hybrid That Works

June 22, 2025June 27, 2025 by 100wears

Price: $160 [SOLD OUT; Check eBay for Current Prices]

Pros:

The New Balance 1906L offers the high fashion of Balenciaga with a main street price.

Cons:

The New Balance 1906L will turn heads, maybe not in the way you want.

Specs:

Model	1906L
Height	Loafer
Materials	Nylon / Foam / EVA / Rubber
Size	13
Weight	420 g / 14.8 oz
Construction	Cemented
Country of Origin	Vietnam

History

To say that New Balance has gotten milage out of the humble outsole from the 860v2 would be an understatement. That unit has been put on everything from pure-running sneakers, the sneaker that created New Balance’s late-come popularity, and the pure-style 1906R. However, one thing almost nobody expected was where this outsole has recently turned up – underpinning a sneaker loafer.

The New Balance 1906L, which originally launched as a collaboration with Junya Watanabe, was controversial would be an understatement. When the style first started making the rounds last year, people could hardly believe it. It didn’t matter where you were looking, the general consensus was that they were awful.

Here’s the thing though – they sold out. In every colorway. For over a year. Sure, today you can find a few pairs today sitting at places with really high shipping costs, but if you want a pair from New Balance themselves you need to act quick.

Further, this sneaker has spawned an entirely new category. Puma, Hoka, and Vans have all come out with their own version of the sneaker loafer. If you count women’s only options, you can add Adidas and Jordan brand to that list.

While everyone was laughing at these originally, it seems like the only people laughing now are the bean counters in Boston. So, what is it that makes these sneakers so incredibly popular, even as other New Balance models fade in popularity?

Let’s dive in and find out.

Looks

Upper

How could we start anywhere but the upper of the New Balance 1906L. Starting off with a base from the metallic 2000’s runner trend, they took these and made them – you guessed it – a loafer. That means removing the laces and tongue, and instead you get a plug and a strap. By the way, the panel that sits on top of your foot in a loafer is typically called a “plug.”

There are really only three panels that are changed to make it a loafer. A large mesh panel that runs from the toe to the opening, the double layered strap, and a cloth panel where the plug meets the rest of the sneaker.

Beyond the loafer elements the sneaker loafer is typical 1906. Mesh panels make up the base, with synthetic overlays added for structure and support. A plastic heel cap – black on this pair – finishes off the upper.

What’s weird to me is that everything that isn’t a loafer part – the heel, panels, etc. – all are the standard fantastic New Balance quality. However, all of the “loafer” parts – the strap, throat lining, etc. all feature flaws that are clearly from hand sewing. While I have no way to prove it, if I had to guess it seems like the majority of the sneaker is made on the standard 1906 line, and then it is taken off and finished by hand. Or, at least as close to by hand as possible when you’re pumping out tens of thousands of pairs. I should complain, but it’s kind of endearing. It makes the sneaker feel like something unique.

Mid- and Outsole

When looking at the bottom of the New Balance 1906L, there is nothing different than the 860v2/2002R/1906R. That’s what makes it so strange.

I probably don’t need to explain the design in too much detail for you. It’s been featured on millions (probably tens of millions) of pairs of sneakers over the past few years. This style is ultimate New Balance. Busy, swooping, and featuring exposed gel pods, it’s everything you could want for support. There is even an exposed plastic shank plate.

What makes it stand out, however, is that it’s a maximalist sneaker design attached to a loafer upper.

Summary

The New Balance 1906L is a very strange sneaker. Loafer? Maybe a Snoafer? However, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I love this pair.

People have been saying we’ve been at the end of history for pretty much all of history, but it certainly feels like it with sneakers. In a world where everything is a retro – from 1980’s basketball sneakers to 2000’s runners – it’s hard to find something that is genuinely new. These sneakers are new. These are fun.

Sure, they’re absolutely silly. However, all good sneakers are. Jordan got fined for wearing black and red sneakers because anything that wasn’t white was unbecoming of an NBA player. Kids got made fun of for wearing running shoes to school because everyone knew that they were just for running. I could go on, but today both of those styles have almost become passe.

The New Balance 1906L is an effort to inject style into a staid world, and I am here for it.

As for how to style them, it really depends on how creative you want to get. I’ve seen them look good in everything from sweat pants to chinos. Though, I wouldn’t go so far as to wear tailored clothing with them. Personally, I’d skip shorts. The top of these is very plain compared to other sneakers and something looks unfinished. However, I’m sure there is some guy in New York wearing these with shorts and killing it.

Fit & Comfort

Fit

The New Balance 1906L has a bit of a strange fit if you’ve only ever worn sneakers. The footbed is going to be the same as any other sneaker that uses this outsole. That being said, the top of the sneaker is going to be slimmer, making the sneaker feel tighter.

This tightening is extremely common on other loafers. Without laces to help adjust the fit, loafers need to be a bit tighter to keep your foot in the shoe. However, you still need to be able to get your foot in. That means that just about everyone is going to have the loafer feel slightly too tight in some ways, and slightly too loose in others.

Personally, I found that these New Balance fit that balance really well. I went with my typical New Balance size of 13 and had a slight bit of heel slip, but never stepped out of the sneaker. I’d suggest going with your typical size, unless you typically like a lot of extra room in your sneaker, in which case you probably would want to go down a half size.

Comfort

The New Balance 1906L is an incredibly comfortable sneaker. Of course, when you’re just standing still, it’s like any other sneaker that uses this tooling. That means great support, plenty of squish, etc. The upper has a bit of padding – though less than a dedicated running sneaker.

Where you will find a little bit of a trip up is in walking. While still very comfortable, you are going to get a little bit of heel slip. Or, to put it another way, the back of the sneaker will slide slightly up and down your ankle as you walk. This is pretty common with loafer style shoes. It’ll improve a bit with time, but I found that after several wears it never actually went away.

This sort of heel slip means your toes will actually be working to stabilize the sneaker as you walk, even if you don’t notice. You might find a bit of foot fatigue because of this.

I wouldn’t hesitate to wear these for a casual day, but if I was really putting in the miles I’d probably reach for something else.

Materials & Construction

Materials

The materials of the New Balance 1906L are almost entirely classic 2000’s runner. The upper features a nylon knit upper as a base. This doesn’t feel particularly durable, though is no different than other sneakers that use this style. Laid on top of this mesh is various synthetic overlays. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the vinyl material they use, but it’s what everyone uses so I can’t fault New Balance too much.

The panel along the edge of the plug and joining the plug to the rest of the upper is a nylon cloth. It doesn’t feel premium but should be more than durable enough to outlast the outsole. Like I mention above, this feels almost hand-made, with both the good and bad that come from that.

The upper is finished off with a plastic heel cap and a little rubbery plastic “N” right in the middle of the toe box.

Under your foot, the insole is an open celled Ortholite insole. It’s fine, though probably won’t be all that durable. Under the insole, a midsole made of New Balance Abzorb and Abzorb SBS will be much longer lasting. Abzorb is New Balance’s EVA/rubber blend, and feels great. Abzorb SBS, seen in the glossy pods near the heel, is an elastomer TPU.

Finishing off the sneaker is a rubber outsole. This outsole seems thick, and should outlast the foam in the midsole for most people.

Construction

The New Balance 1906L is made using standard cemented construction. To make a sneaker this way, the upper is sewn together and then glued directly to the midsole. This style of construction, which is by far the most common way to make a sneaker, offers great flexibility and is very affordable to make.

As for drawbacks, this is the last durable way to make a sneaker as there is only one point of failure. It’s also extremely difficult to replace the midsole or outsole if you wanted to keep the sneaker going for a long time.

Pricing

The New Balance 1906L, in the non-collab colorways, launched with a $160 MSRP. Nearly all of the releases did sell out and are going for slightly over retail on places like eBay, however the black, silver, and raincloud colorways are going for a bit under retail at time of writing.

This price puts them at a slight premium at retail over the 1906L’s sister sneakers like the 1906R and 860v2. However, the big difference is that you can get countless colorways of those for big discounts. It isn’t hard to find a nice pair for $90 or less.

From a pure value angle, the 1906L doesn’t make a ton of sense. However – as far as higher-end fashion focused sneakers go – $160 is a bargain. And I would say these should be placed alongside other lower volume, experimental sneakers. If the 1906L make a good value is a bit of a pick your own adventure book depending on how you want to look at them.

Wrap Up

I’ll be honest, I originally only went for this pair so that I could get a review up. It was a good click bait article and that I’d likely sell them as soon as the review went live. However, after getting them in hand, I’m totally sold on keeping them.

Online, they seem to not make sense. A weird design, that costs more, is less practical, and is hard to get compared to the standard 1906? Seems like an easy skip. And if you’re reading this review and thinking that, I don’t fault you one bit.