The New Balance 550 Steps Out of the Shadows
continue their strong and seemingly never-ending run of the retro basketball shoe. Unlike some other sneakers in the present market, the model’s success has been largely underpinned by NB’s focus on producing strong general release colourways made accessible, rather than an iron-fisted grip on scarce collaborations. This simple recipe for success is reflected by the similarly straightforward editions that continue arriving, such as the , and now, the inverted black and grey complement.
The NB brand name is one that’s often top of mind when it comes to archival sneaker reproductions. This fact has been very well represented by the 550, which returned last year in exacting detail after over 30 years’ slumber. It’s certainly been a restful beauty sleep for the model, which sees a well balanced placement of alternating black and grey leather panels, plus some subtle textural additions via the lightly perforated mudguard and toe box vent holes. In fact, this colourway looks like it could’ve come straight outta NB’s 1989 basketball catalogue. The description on the New Balance product page says it best: ‘Simple and clean, not overbuilt’.
Hit up the NB website on January 12 for this 550 drop, which will be happening alongside the white pair. Porque no los dos?