New Balance’s 9060 Summer mule debuts in sleek all-black trail style

The mule-ification of sneakers keeps working because it takes a familiar shape and removes the one thing that slows it down: the heel. New Balance’s 9060 Summer mule does exactly that, turning the brand’s bulbous lifestyle hit into a backless slip-on with hiking-style toggle laces and an all-black finish that makes the chunky profile look less experimental and more ready for daily rotation. Highsnobiety says the pair leans into trail flavor, which is exactly why the black colorway matters: it softens the hybrid weirdness and gives the shoe a cleaner path from fashion object to actual wear.

That familiarity is the 9060’s biggest advantage. New Balance describes the model as a new expression of the brand’s classic 99X series, reinterpreted through a warped, Y2K-inspired visible-tech lens, and the standard unisex lifestyle version is listed at $159.99 on NewBalance.com. Against that backdrop, the mule offshoot, which sneaker reporting in March put at about $150 and in five colorways, feels less like a random detour than a natural next move: a stripped-back version of a sneaker already built on exaggerated proportions and ABZORB SBS cushioning.

The black 9060 Summer also signals where New Balance wants this to live in the closet. A tonal upper makes the silhouette easier to wear with nylon shorts, loose denim, and the kind of technical cargo pants that already anchor trail-adjacent dressing, while the adjustable toggle laces keep the shoe in hiking territory rather than pure fashion mule territory. Highsnobiety notes that the style is available exclusively overseas, which gives the release a more niche, insider feel and explains why the pair reads more like a global taste test than a full-scale U.S. staple.

That is the tension that makes the 9060 Summer interesting. It has enough of the original sneaker’s volume and design DNA to feel coherent, but the open back changes the whole attitude, from sneaker to shortcut. For readers who want one shoe to do errands, travel days, and warm-weather commutes without looking like a generic recovery slide, this black version comes closest to a real grab-and-go option. For everyone else, it remains what the best hybrids often are: a sharply edited niche piece that says as much about the mule trend as it does about New Balance.