On October 27, New Balance officially announced actress Storm Reid (Euphoria) as its latest ambassador. As a self-proclaimed sneakerhead, her new role felt like the perfect fit.“It’s a dream come true. I’ve been a sneakerhead for a very long time and then a person that loves fashion” she said in a phone interview with Teen Vogue. Not only is Storm’s ambassadorship impressive on its own, but it also comes at a transitional point in her life. Just like much of her fanbase, she is just at the beginning of her journey, having just celebrated her 18th birthday and become a college freshman at USC, and hopes to inspire others to walk into the unknown with confidence and style.
“New Balance and I share the belief that women should have the confidence to pursue all of their interests, and I’m thrilled that the brand has chosen to support me as a perfectly imperfect, multi-dimensional young person who is learning as I grow,” she said, in a statement. “The opportunity to make yourself feel seen but also make other women feel seen through any type of fashion is really cool,” she says.
As Storm takes her first steps into the sneaker world, she wants to use her platform to represent women in a largely male-dominated space. “As a young 18-year-old woman in the world, to just feel seen and heard is really exciting. Young women want to feel like the world is looking and listening and I always say if you don’t feel like you can see yourself, how do you feel as though you can succeed?” she asks. “Women are powerful and the fact that people are finally recognizing our magic and our greatness is a beautiful thing.”
To celebrate Storm joining the New Balance family, the lifestyle brand released a video of the actor posing in some of its most popular styles for the We Got Now campaign. Even when she’s off duty, you can find Storm scootering around her college campus in a cozy New Balance ‘fit. “I was with one of my friends yesterday and she was like, ‘you know that you live in New Balance tracksuits?’ I was like, duh, because they’re cute and they’re comfortable. What else do you expect me to be in?” she laughs. “I love to pair a New Balance tracksuit with the 550s and run or scooter to class.”
Storm’s love for New Balance sneakers, in general, is a family affair that she shares with her dad and brothers. Forget the family group chat, they share their favorite sneaker finds on Instagram. “We literally have an Instagram thread of just like the coolest New Balance sneakers out right now. For me and my family, it’s just been a way of how we feel and how we want to present ourselves to the world.”
New Balance’s We Got Now initiative pushes for designing a life without limits which is a mantra that Storm practices in her work. “I’m a person that is very purpose-driven, whether that’s being a part of a club at school or the things that I choose to be a part of as an actress and producer,” she shares. Balancing being a student and a growing career means any project Storm takes on is one she wholeheartedly believes in.
Although her new role comes with some exciting plans like curating products and shooting campaigns, what matters most to Storm is being vocal about topics she believes in like female empowerment. As an ambassador, she aims to create more opportunities for women and work on philanthropic projects close to her heart. “I think it’s only going to make the younger generations that are coming up feel as though they can be celebrated in the world and they can be themselves unabashedly,” says Storm.
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