New Balance 550

The 550s, a sneaker from New Balance's basketball range first released in 1989, experienced a breakout in popularity in 2021 after a hyped collaboration with Teddy Santis' Aime Leon Dore.

Originally named the "P550 Basketball Oxford," the New Balance 550 was created by legendary designer Steven Smith and released in 1989. Constructed with premium and perforated leather uppers, breathable mesh, and a rubber sole unit, the low top silhouette was unfortunately not a tremendous success in the basketball market of the 80s and 90s, as it lacked the flashy appeal of other sneakers of the time. This caused New Balance to shift their focus to the running shoe market, leaving the 550 hidden in their archives for nearly 30 years. Today, however, its simplicity is embraced as a casual sneaker.