Jaden Smith rolled with the sneaker-loafer trend at the Met Gala, and he did so in a pair of New Balances that haven’t been released to the public.
The rapper and actor wore the New Balance 1906L Monday night in an unreleased croc patent leather makeup. It bears a strong resemblance to other 1906Ls that have released, including a Junya Watanabe collaboration that utilizes patent leather as well, but the crocodile-textured variant has yet to hit the market.
Black patent leather forms the entirety of the upper for Smith’s 1906L, save for the black TPU heel counter. The sole unit is also rendered in black, keeping it in line with his black tuxedo, shirt and tie combo. Above his shoes, Smith’s look was provided entirely by Ozwald Boateng — checkered cape, headpiece and all.
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New Balance launched the 1906L late last summer after the hybrid model was first shown on the runway by Junya Watanabe in January. Polarization on the 1906R’s loafer remix has carried through pre-release on through multiple drops for the 1906L, but that hasn’t stopped the model from selling out in new colorways and materials.
“The loafer trend should continue as long as brands can stay creative with model and material variations,” Tarek Hassan, founder and chief executive officer of Concepts, told Footwear News in March. “I think we are approaching its peak in trend and growth but will continue to live on as a unique offering for consumers.”
Smith has been a New Balance ambassador since 2019, and he’s received two models of his own, the Vision Racer and 0.01, the latter of which he’s previously worn at the Met Gala.
Two other sneakers stood out at the 2025 Met Gala, as Spike Lee wore the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cat” and George Lucas chose a much more humble pair of Nike runners best described as “dad sneakers.”