The New Balance 550 Goes Greyscale

News of this release was first published on May 5, 2022.

Update June 30, 2022: After releasing in Europe earlier this year, the New Balance 550 'Castlerock' will see a Stateside release directly via NB on July 1. Hit the link below to cop.

Originally released in the late 1980s, the New Balance 550 remained dormant for over three decades until Teddy Santis, the enterprising founder of Aimé Leon Dore, helped bring it back in 2020. In between its first release and its retro revival, the Steven Smith-designed silhouette mainly lived on in old sneaker magazines and vintage print ads – and now it's appeared in a new greyscale colourway that looks like it was pulled directly from those printed pages!

Crisp white leather uppers that offer smooth and perforated panels alike provide a familiar base, while various shades of grey appear on the tongue, collar and branded hits. What makes this colour application so compelling is that the artful use of these grey shades, combined with the bright white base, offers a high-contrast look not dissimilar to the one you'd see in a well-lit black and white photograph. This look is rounded off by a similar white-meets-grey application on the midsole and outsole, while high-quality sockliners serve up precise comfort.

Expect these white and grey New Balance kicks to release at retailers like Naked in the coming days. They'll be priced at a standard $110.

Want to get the whole story of how the 550 went from an obscure 1980s hoop shoe to one of New Balance's most influential lifestyle models? Click here for a complete retrospective on its history, featuring an interview with Steven Smith and photos of its original design sketches!