I was looking for made in the U.S.
New Balance shoes because their record of treatment of workers is better than other major
athletic shoe makers. (These are made in the USA of imported materials. Unfortunately most of the totally made in the USA
New Balance are men's and/or not the nice looking darker colors.)These are very comfortable and I love the way they look with my black
yoga pants. They are also more lightweight than my last pair of
New Balance sneakers which is a big plus. I was a little concerned that they would not have enough traction due to other reviews, but there is a ton of traction. I mostly workout indoors, often on hardwood floors, and I've had no problems with traction. I've done Zumba in these shoes and they actually have a little too much traction for that.