Earlier this month, US sportswear brand New Balance unveiled a limited-edition UAE-only version of its 1080v15 trainer.
The release is part of New Balance's In It For The Long Run initiative, which celebrates the many multicultural communities that shape life all over.
Staying with the distinctive 1080v15 silhouette, which was launched at the start of the year, the shoe combines a mesh upper with a thick sole. The new arrival has a black tongue and a black outline of the "N" logo on the side. Otherwise, in all-white, it has pops of red and green flanking the heel, echoing the UAE national flag. The tips of the laces are also finished in red and green. The price is Dh899.
Stuart Henwood, senior director at New Balance, Middle East, Africa and India, explained the company wanted to demonstrate its connection to and support for the UAE.
"At a time when communities are showing up, supporting one another and continuing to move forward in their own way, we wanted to recognise that spirit," Henwood said.
"This UAE-exclusive reflects that mindset and a way to celebrate the communities here that keep moving, keep participating and keep finding their own rhythm. For us, that is what ‘In It For The Long Run’ truly means in the UAE.”
The release joins a growing list of trainers inspired by the UAE and the wider region.
Nike x Frame
In 2020, Nike released the SB Dunk Low Habibi created in collaboration with Dubai skate retailer, Frame.
Like the New Balance shoe, the Habibi palette is inspired by the country's flag, with a white ground, red overlays and stacked double Swooshes in green and black.
Other Emirati touches appear in the Arabic word Habibi printed on the inside of the tongue, while the sockliner is covered in a subtle tile print. The laces, meanwhile, are printed with the red-and-white patterning of a ghutra and are frayed at the edges.
Originally priced at Dh405, the shoe now regularly sells for well above its original retail price on resale platforms.
adidas x Dream Girl Tailors
German sportswear company adidas has gone even further, releasing two separate shoes dedicated to the country.
In April 2025, it partnered with Dream Girl Tailors in Al Fahidi for a limited-edition of its famous Samba OG and Handball Spezial shoes.
Conceived as part of a wider series, the Loomhood Collection, celebrating traditional handwork in the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the UAE versions featured design elements inspired by traditional Talli weaving. Talli weaving is a traditional Emirati craft in which metallic threads are woven with cotton or silk.
Co-created with Dream Girl Tailors, itself something of a Dubai institution, the collection drew on the shimmering metallic patterns associated with the Emirati craft. The shoes also came with GPS co-ordinates stamped on the outside heel, and the name of the Al Fahidi district stamped next to the Trefoil logo.
Initially priced at Dh499, the collection sold out fast and is now primarily available through resale platforms.
adidas x Ravi Restaurant
The adidas x Ravi trainers were launched in 2022, in honour of the beloved Satwa Pakistani eatery, Ravi Restaurant.
The redesigned adidas Superstar shoe had a cream ground and was decorated in green, reflecting the colours of the Pakistani flag.
The name and opening date (1978) of the restaurant were written in Arabic on one shoe and in English on the other, while the tongue was decorated with six of Ravi's best-selling dishes, also in Arabic and English.
The insole had a hand-drawn map of the Ravi River in northern Pakistan, while even the shoe box was made to look like a Ravi takeaway container.
Priced at Dh549, stocks sold out within hours, with pairs later appearing on resale platforms at significantly higher asking prices.
