New Balance 550 Shoes
The New Balance BB550 (or P550 Basketball Oxford) was designed by Steven Smith and hit shelves in 1989. The BB550 served as the low-top counterpart to New Balance’s P650 model, and was a direct competitor to the Nike Dunk Low. Although the silhouette is loved today, the BB550 was archived in the ‘90s due to lack of sales and high competition. In 2020, New Balance collaborated with Aimé Leon Dore and re-released the model with much success.
Reemerging after decades in the vault, the New Balance 550 made its return in 2020 through a collaboration with the now-head of NBs Made in USA line, Teddy Santis (through his label Aime Leon Dore), and has since become one of the most popular low-top retro silhouettes on the market.
New Balance’s reintroduction of the Steven Smith-designed New Balance 550 can be directly linked with the recent success the label has had as they offered consumers a more refined model when it comes to low-top retro basketball models. Premium materials on a model that slides right into the current fashion zeitgeist of vintage, archival pieces have led to instant sellouts and a new wave of consumers checking in for the latest NB releases. Now seeing multiple drops per month, there is sure to be a New Balance 550 colorway that will suit your needs as you can choose between more formal, mature colorways like the “White Grey” colorway while also getting more colorful renditions like the “Pink Suede.”
