New Balance welcomes Ayo Edebiri as its latest global ambassador, beginning a partnership shaped by their shared connection to Boston. The award-winning actress, comedian and creative returns to her hometown for the launch campaign, photographed by Tyler Mitchell and styled by Danielle Goldberg. Throughout the images, Edebiri wears the New Balance 574 as the project follows her through Dorchester, local landmarks and everyday moments connected to the city where she grew up.
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Edebiri has developed a career that includes acting, comedy, writing, directing, fashion and film. New Balance points to her independent creative perspective and approach to self-expression as central reasons for the partnership. The brand sees her work across entertainment and culture as a reflection of a generation of creatives who build careers through individual voices and personal choices.
Chris Davis, Brand President and Chief Marketing Officer at New Balance, describes Edebiri as a singular talent with a distinctive perspective. He credits her creativity, intelligence and sense of self for shaping a career that follows its own direction. For New Balance, those qualities connect naturally with the identity the company wants to communicate through the partnership.
The first campaign places that relationship within Boston. Edebiri grew up in Dorchester, giving the project a personal connection to the city where New Balance also has deep roots. Mitchell photographs her in locations and situations that reference her experience of Boston while keeping the focus on the people, places and details that formed part of her upbringing.
Edebiri describes New Balance as a familiar presence from her childhood. Growing up in Boston, she saw the brand as part of the city’s everyday culture. That history gives the partnership a personal dimension and provides a starting point for the stories she and New Balance plan to develop together.
“I’m always thinking about the stories we tell,” Edebiri says. She also points to New Balance’s ability to explore different styles and narratives while maintaining a clear sense of identity. The partnership gives her the opportunity to contribute her own perspective as those projects develop.
As a New Balance ambassador, she will appear in future campaigns and brand storytelling projects. She will also collaborate with the company on creative initiatives and cultural moments, bringing her experience as a writer, performer and director into future work.
The partnership establishes storytelling as its central direction. New Balance plans to work with Edebiri on projects shaped by her creative voice, while her Boston upbringing creates an immediate connection between her personal history and the brand. The first campaign begins that relationship in Dorchester, returning Edebiri to the city that helped shape her perspective and setting the foundation for future collaborations.
