Who'd Complain About an Influx of Ultra-Clean New Balance 550s?
New Balance's 550 is one of the most ubiquitous sneakers on the market today and its domination cannot be stopped. New Balance just keeps rolling out its signature low-top sneaker in objectively attractive minimalist makeups that only highlight the 550's all-purpose design.
Now, white colorways are nothing new for the New Balance 550, thanks to longtime collaborator Aimé Leon Dore, but it's interesting that New Balance continues churning out ultra-understated iterations of the 550, exploring differing shades of white only distinguishable when compared side-by-side.
But who could possibly complain about the opportunity to get their hands on ever-more versatile 550 colorways?
Currently available on New Balance's website for $120 apiece, two new white-ish iterations of the NB 550 are on hand, each as understated as anything else out there.
There's a white version accented with "Timberwolf" and "Raincloud" (fancy names for grey and blue) and a white iteration offered with touches of Turtledove, which appears to be some additional white flavoring.
Nothing fancy, just a couple wildly wearable colorways for one of New Balance's most popular sneakers currently on the market.
The 550 has inspired a host of collaborations with New Balance partners as disparate as Jaden Smith, NBA agent Rich Paul, and South Korean streetwear label Thisisneverthat while simultaneously inspiring shopping fever among a sect of folks who typically barely pay attention to sneaker culture.
Notice that the Timberwolf pair of New Balance 550s has already sold out in nearly every smaller size, indicating a heightened popularity among women who likely couldn't care less about, say, Jordan retros or one-off running shoes created exclusively for the Japanese market.
Indeed, New Balance 550's has successfully tapped into the same industry-agnostic crowd of female-identifying shoppers as Nike's Panda Dunk, adidas' Samba, and Fila's Disrupter, elevating a sneaker once viewed as a best-kept secret into veritable household name.
Cheers to that. This is the sort of financial windfall that allows New Balance to keep iterating with ever-more wilder shoes, like its recently revealed WRPD Runner.