Kondwani Fidel says he began wearing New Balance sneakers right “out of the womb.”

They’ve always been one of his go-to brands, along with Nike’s Air Force 1 shoes. Most of his friends wore them, too. They enjoyed the versatility of the shoe — whether that be wearing them with a suit jacket or to play hoops.

“You couldn’t tell me I wasn’t fresh with New Balance,” he said. “That’s how we put fits together.”

Now the Baltimore poet is the face of a powerful campaign for the brand’s 990 line in partnership with footwear and apparel chain DTLR. Fidel penned a series of commercials that also showcase other Black notables from Baltimore, including scribe D. Watkins, who co-wrote the campaign, and rapper EDG Tizzy.

“They used change-makers,” Fidel said. “If we can highlight those people — I am all for that.”

The embrace of urban culture by New Balance is in stark contrast to its reputation in 2016 when neo-Nazis attached themselves to the brand after a company official practically endorsed Donald Trump.

The controversy stemmed from the Barack Obama-endorsed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which Trump, as well as Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, opposed. Despite the bipartisan opposition, New Balance and conservatives glommed onto Trump’s position. One neo-Nazi blogger declared it the “Official Shoes of White People.”

“The Obama administration turned a deaf ear to us and frankly, with President-elect Trump, we feel things are going to move in the right direction,” Matthew LeBretton, New Balance’s vice president of public affairs, told the Wall Street Journal at the time.

The brand eventually had to issue a statement telling customers that it was not associated with neo-Nazis: “New Balance does not tolerate bigotry or hate in any form.”

The campaign is not only a departure from that time, but also takes the brand back to its stronghold of support in Baltimore, where generations have worn the shoes, Fidel said.

It features a colorful montage of videos throughout the city, from aerial drone shots to close-ups of the shoes being worn by dirt bike riders.

Fidel created similar New Balance and DTLR campaigns for launches in Philadelphia and Chicago — both with sizeable Black populations. A fourth — separate ― collaboration is in the works for Washington, D.C., said the project’s director, Devon Dooley.

The Baltimore native was originally contacted by a member of DTLR who eventually connected him with Dooley.

“This was a time for us to show who is really buying these products,” said Dooley, who works as a director, photographer and cinematographer for DTLR. “We are the brand for the people who do not have access to other things.”

New Balance did not return requests for comment for this story.

Its latest campaign is a needed market shift from what happened in 2016, said Zoey Washington, a Baltimore-based lifestyle journalist.

“What we saw in 2016 is a reminder for brands to lead with their authenticity in marketing and tap into their roots when it comes to storytelling … otherwise someone is going to do it for you,” Washington said.

Brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Dolce & Gabbana have found themselves in their own branding nightmares in recent years.

In the early 2000s, Hilfiger caught the ire of Black consumers after rumors that he didn’t want his clothing on rappers or in the urban market, recalled Washington, a former fashion editor for publications such as Vogue, Elle, People Style Watch and Essence.

“The rumor got so out of hand that he had to address it publicly,” she said. “In reality, Tommy built his brand on the concept of streetwear and pop culture and, from what I know, he was very excited by the way Black music hand embraced his brand. But it took years to undo that damage.”

Other brands suffered backlashes as a result of their own actions.

In 2015, designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana publicly denounced the idea of gay couples having children. The next year, they sold a $2,000 shoe called the “Slave Sandal.” In 2017, the brand released “#BoycottD&G” T-shirts following outcry over their support of Melania Trump.

In 2018, the brand once again drew criticism after releasing a campaign showing an Asian model attempting to eat Italian foods with chopsticks. They later pulled the ads and apologized after claiming one of their social media platforms was hacked with anti-Asian rhetoric. The brand finally rebounded in 2023 after a collaboration with Kim Kardashian.

Even though Fidel was not aware of the neo-Nazi disaster in 2016, he is glad to know New Balance is embracing a community that has remained loyal for decades.

“We make our own culture here,” he said. “We have to take what we get. We reclaim it and make it ours.”

Dooley is also glad to see the brand embrace its Black fan base.

“The inner city adopted New Balance,” he said. “They [New Balance] wanted to speak on the heritage of the shoe.”

And as for the shoes themselves, both tout the versatility and comfort of the latest drop — a hallmark that has made the brand so successful in the mid-Atlantic region, they said.

“It’s an all-around good shoe,” said Dooley, a 33-year-old Pigtown resident. “On the other side, it’s something I’m used to seeing in Baltimore when I’m with my people.”

Fidel added: “For me it’s always been bigger than the sneaker. It’s the culture. It’s nostalgia. My father wore New Balance. You can see the evolution of the shoe in these people.”