Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1503152
W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 J U LY 1 0 , 2 0 2 3 www.headlightav.com Inquiries: (207) 775-1671 The man in the New Balance shoes B y P e t e r V a n A l l e n P resident Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted a state dinner for India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 22 at the White House. Some 400 people attended, including tennis great Billie Jean King, director M. Night Shyamalan, fashion designers Reem Acra and Ralph Lauren and of course politicos. One of the pool reporters, Judy Kurtz, the "In the Know" columnist at the Hill, reported that a well-known fashion icon was sporting some shoes with a strong Maine connection. "Ralph Lauren, sporting a tuxedo and a pair of gray New Balance sneakers, said he designed Jill Biden's dress for tonight's state dinner. A White House official confirmed Lauren as the designer of the first lady's gown," Kurtz wrote. The sneaker-clad Lauren has done col- laborations with New Balance in the past, replacing the logo "N" with the Polo logo. Maine takes particular pride in New Balance, which has three factories here. But we don't always think of it as a fashion brand, at least in the way a story in Glamour magazine last year illustrated it. Glamour said that New Balance was seen as an attractive collaborator because it is relatively nimble compared to a Nike. "Without a rigid formula to follow, its partners have had the freedom to fol- low their own vision and take the reins on marketing, turning to New Balance primarily for product expertise," the fashion magazine wrote. New Balance has three factories in Maine: in Skowhegan, Norway and Norridgewock. The Boston-based shoemaker said earlier this summer that if plans a $65 million expansion of the Skowhegan factory, adding 120,000 square feet to the production area. The expansion will allow it to double production, to 1 mil- lion pairs of shoes a year, and add 200 jobs, bringing the number of Maine employees to 1,000. It should be noted that at the groundbreaking ceremony on June 12, nearly everyone was dressed in their New Balance sneakers, including U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Angus King, I-Maine, and Gov. Janet Mills. P H O T O / DAV I D B AT E S P O L I T I C S & C O. At the groundbreaking ceremony on June 12, nearly everyone was dressed in their New Balance sneakers, including U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Angus King, I-Maine, and Gov. Janet Mills At the groundbreaking, state and federal officials joined New Balance executives in breaking ground on the new factory space.