The Boss Rolls On: Inside Andrew Reynolds’ New Balance Numeric 933

It might sound like a paradox, but there’ve been a hell of a lot of bosses over the years. Springsteen. Diana Ross. Rick Ross. But on grip tape? No one commands the title quite like Andrew Reynolds. Known for his razor-sharp frontside flips, supernatural pop, and monk-like dedication, Reynolds has been holding it down for nearly three decades. Inking a deal with Birdhouse in the mid-90s, Reynolds burst into the zeitgeist with his part in 1998 skate film The End – a synapse-sizzler of a performance with enough pop to give Newton a nosebleed. The part helped him earn Thrasher’s coveted Skater of the Year in '98, and two years later, he founded Baker Skateboards – a brand built on one of the most hardcore teams in skate history. Now, he’s channeling over 30 years of skate wizardry into his latest venture: the New Balance Numeric 933 – a signature shoe engineered for straight up street abuse. Fusing Reynolds’ obsessive attention to detail with NB’s futuristic design lab, the 933 is ready to roll out this week. We caught up with Reynolds to drill down on the details.

Congratulations on the 933! How does it feel?
I’m feeling really good. I’ve had the chance to skate in it for two months now, and for me, it’s perfect. All the work we put into it – the little tweaks to get it just right – really paid off. It feels exactly how I wanted.

I read that during the wear-test process you discovered a fault. What happened?
What we learned after the first production run – about 25,000 pairs – was that the ollie pad was supposed to be glued down. It’s stitched like most other shoes, but we wanted to do a little something extra by adding a layer of glue. That way, when you kickflip or ollie, it would stay down. When I started skating the first pairs, I realised something was off. Thankfully, everyone at New Balance Numeric was keen to fix it, but it did set us back a few months.

You’re obviously hyper-attuned to what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to skate footwear. What’s the first thing you notice when you put on a shoe?
The fit and comfort are always the first things I clock. One thing I noticed with the NB Numeric line is that models like the 440 are a little wider in the forefoot. It wasn’t my favourite shoe to skate in, but it definitely fit better than a lot of others. So, we used that last shape as the starting point for my model, then built it up with the padding and details I like.

It’s tricky, though, because everyone wants something different. I’ve noticed a lot of online comments about New Balance offering wide shoes in general, and there are heaps of skaters in comment sections asking for wider options. I think they’re actually going to make a wide version of my shoe, too.

At the end of the day, there are always so many different preferences, but I just trusted my instincts and designed something that works for me. I’m hoping other skaters feel the same way.

You’ve spoken in the past about your love of NB’s 99X line. Can you talk about your connection to those models and why the 993 was such a solid canvas for your 933 collaboration?
I’ve been paying attention to what New Balance has been doing for years. If I was going to buy a pair of walking shoes, they’d definitely be New Balance. The 991, 992, and 993 always stood out to me – and I’ve always loved the Made in UK models too. I’m also a big fan of the 990v6; I think it’s a really interesting shoe.

Whenever I’d design or sketch shoes, I’d always try to come up with something original. But what’s cool about the 99X series is that the panels are almost exactly the same on each model, just shifted around a bit. That really tripped me out – in a good way. I thought it was cool that New Balance could do that as a brand, so it gave me the freedom to use that as my base. From there, I wanted to make it work for skating – make it good for ollies and impact. I basically took everything I know about skate shoes and applied it to the design and the panels I wanted to work with, just to see if I could morph it into something in between.

What were some of the biggest challenges when adapting a lifestyle runner so it could survive grip tape and stair sets?
Honestly, there weren’t too many big challenges. The main thing was that most runners sit on top of a foam midsole from toe to heel, but that doesn’t work for skate shoes. I knew the shoe needed a rubber sidewall instead. Your foot really needs to sink down into the shoe – especially when you’re skating, jumping off stairs, and moving side to side. So it was about capturing that runner look, but also making sure there’s a spot for your feet to sink into and enough protection for all that lateral movement. Jeff Mikut, Head of Design at New Balance Numeric, had to keep reeling me back in because I kept pushing to make it look more like a runner, but he’d remind me, 'No, no, it needs to be a skate shoe.'

Why were you so intent on making it look like a runner?
Back in the 90s, the most gangster thing you could do was skate in non-skate shoes. You’d see people show up in Timberlands, Air Max, ACGs or just regular runners – and that’s always been the skater mentality: ‘Who gives a fuck? I’m just going to do whatever I want.’ I always liked that attitude, so I wanted my shoe to look like a runner – specifically, a New Balance. I wanted people to put them on and feel like they had a $200 pair of New Balance on their feet. I guess the Ishod Air Max falls into a similar category. A lot of people are comparing my shoe to a DC Lynx, which I look at as a compliment.

When you talk about sketching shoes and coming up with original ideas, did you ever consider releasing footwear under the Baker brand?
Yeah, a few friends and business partners and I have tossed the idea around before. But honestly, I just want to be out skating and keep things fun. It’s never been something I’ve personally wanted to take on. If I ever did go down that path, I’d have to give it everything I’ve got – and I’d rather put that energy into riding my skateboard.

After working with all this new fandangled tech from New Balance, do you ever think back to the shoes you grew up skating in? Ever wonder how different things might’ve been if you’d had access to this kind of innovation back then? Who knows – maybe it could’ve saved you from some of those gnarly injuries along the way.
Skate shoes were so chunky in the early 2000s. We couldn’t feel a thing. I think that’s why I still gravitate towards thicker padding – it’s comfortable, and it’s what I know.

How are you celebrating the launch?
I’m at a point in my life where I like to keep things really simple. I want to skate, I want to film, and I want to spend time with the people I love. I want to get home and be in bed at a certain time. New Balance were like, ‘We should throw a big party!’ and I was like, ‘I don’t want a party – I just want to go skate in my shoes.’ And they were like, ‘Cool, whatever you want.’ [laughs]

Andrew Reynolds’ debut signature shoe with New Balance Numeric, the 933, is officially rolling out across the next few months. The first two colorways – a classic ‘Wheat’ and a stealthy ‘Black/Olive’ – are both set to release on April 28, 2025. A special ‘Grey Day’ edition will follow on May 26, tying into New Balance’s annual celebration of their iconic grey colorways. Finally, the ‘Olive’ version will close out the initial wave, landing on June 23.