Dad shoes usually live in the past — think U2010 or 740, coasting on that soft, nostalgic early-2000s vibe. But the ABZORB 2000S, which New Balance dropped in 2025, flips the script and pushes the timeline way, way forward instead.
It's still a dad shoe at heart — no denying the bloodline — but the look throws out the usual playbook entirely. The biggest shift shows up on the upper: a full speckled leather texture replaces the smooth, muted tones that typically define the category. The branding's been repositioned too, with the classic "N" logo shrunk down and shifted toward the toe instead of sitting on the midfoot, giving the whole shoe a cleaner, more understated finish.
The real story, though, is in the sole. The ABZORB SBS cushioning module sits fully exposed on the outsole, and its granular structure gives the shoe a stance that reads more like a piece of space gear than the chunky, retro-heavy soles dad shoes are known for.
New Balance has never really been about chasing trends first — most of the appeal in its dad shoes comes from that "pulled straight out of your uncle's closet" era-specific charm. What makes the ABZORB 2000S interesting is how it takes that exact DNA and stuffs it into a shell that looks like it got mailed back from the future — same dad-shoe bones underneath, just wrapped in tech nobody can quite place.
Pricing and retail availability have not yet been announced.
