On this day 15 years ago, the world lost Steve Jobs after a years-long battle with pancreatic cancer. You’ll read many posts throughout the day about what a great leader and visionary he was, but none will be sweeter or more poignant than the subtle tribute New Balance posted.
If you ever watched one of Steve Jobs’ keynotes, you know his trademark outfit: a black turtleneck, blue jeans, black socks, and a pair of gray New Balance 992s. It’s not flashy or bold, but came to define his brand as much as the products he helped create.
New Balance hasn’t changed the look of the 992 since that time, and it’s still offered in the same “Grey with white” colorway. If you head over there to buy one, you’ll see a photo at the end of the gallery of a person sitting cross-legged wearing a pair. They happen to be wearing blue jeans with black socks and sitting in a black leather chair.
Steve Jobs shown wearing the New Balance 992 in Gray (right) next to New Balance’s re-creation of the pose.
Foundry
If you know your Apple history, you’ll recognize that this is the same chair that Steve Jobs famously sat in to conduct the first demo of the original iPad in January 2010. He wanted to show how casual and “intimate” the device was, so he used as if one would while in their home. It would be one of the last times we saw him on stage and one of his most iconic keynotes.
On this day, the image is an especially poignant and a touching tribute to a man who made the shoe famous.
