The New Balance 550 came into the sneaker world with a bang. Well, the second time around, that is. Originally hitting shelves in 1989, the New Balance 550 was essentially forgotten about for the best part of 30 years. Until 2020, when Aimé Leon Dore founder — and now New Balance MADE in USA Creative Director — Teddy Santis resurrected the underrated silhouette.
Underrated at the time. By that, we mean that the New Balance 550 has gone from zero to hero. Since its first resurgence as a collaboration pack with Aimé Leon Dore, New Balance 550 collaborations with names like Auralee and Rich Paul have been the turbo boost that this silhouette needed to hit the peak of its popularity.
That’s not the whole story, though. A wealth of fire New Balance 550 general release silhouettes offer a kinder entry point for those looking to bring a retro protagonist into their rotation.
Since the 550 continues to be popular (a red and black pair was recently named the 8th hottest product of 2023 Q3 by LYST) there have been many drops to keep up with. To make things easier, we’ve rounded up some of the best New Balance 550s to buy below.
Shop the best New Balance 550 colorways below.
New Balance General Release Colorways
White & Green
White and green makes for a simple, but effective statement. A 550 with a classic look, no frills but damn fine.
Arctic Grey
This looks like what happens when you select the Autofill tool - a fully colored-in colorway, for when you don't want to go half measure.
White & Light Brown
Proving that beige doesn't have to be boring, the light brown accents on this colorway make for a clean look. Just be sure to spray some Crep Protect on this pair before going out on a wet, muddy day.
White & Grey
If you scroll a bit further down this article you'll be faced with a very similar-looking white and grey pair of 550s, made in collaboration with Aimé Leon Dore, that resells for over $200. As much as I like the ALD version, I'd be inclined to save some money and copt this general release pair.
Infinity Blue
Every basketball fan will know which team's jersey the yellow and blue colorway on this sneaker mirrors. And, depending on your allegiances, that will either be a reason to cop or to skip.
White, Off-White, & Blue
While most pairs on this opt for a more low-key approach, matching one or two colors together on the upper, this one takes a slightly more experimental approach with off-white, neon yellow, blue, and white all combined together.
Cordura Pack Grey
Few retailers do sneaker collaborations better than Size?, and its exclusive releases together with New Balance have been especially noteworthy. For this pair, it wraps the 550 in Cordura's notoriously hard-wearing fabric.
White, Off-White, & Green
An alternative to the green pair of 550s that we presented at the top of this article, this variation also mixes more grey and white paneling into the mix. It's up to you to decide which pair you prefer.
New Balance 550 Collaborations
Aimé Leon Dore Brown
There's no secret that ALD is one of the biggest supporters of the 550 but the fact that there are so many collaborative releases of the silhouette mean that some slip under the radar. This brown version is up there with our favorites yet it's very rare to see in the wild.
Aimé Leon Dore Silver
Aimé Leon Dore can be credited with bringing the 550 back to life, so it's only natural that most of our favorite New Balance 550 collaborations come from the New York label.
Rich Paul
Rich Paul is the agent to some of America's greatest athletes and, since December 2021, the namesake of one of the best New Balance 550 colorways around. A neutral off-white base leaves room for grained leather to shine.
Aimé Leon Dore Natural Green
Many will tell you that this is the colorway that started it all. We'd agree. If you're looking to cop a future icon then this is a safe bet.
Auralee
Did we save the best till last? That's for the people to decide, but we're definitely not saying no. Japanese label Auralee put its wildly subtle spin on the 550 last year and it's yet to be beaten on outright versatility.
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