Release Date: New Balance 550 'Aura Purple'

News on this release was first published on March 16, 2022.

Update August 5, 2022: The New Balance 550 'Aura Purple' will arrive on August 11. The retail price is $110.

It's been an action-packed week for fans of the New Balance 550: a purple and white colourway was just revealed, joining 'Au Lait,' white/pink and white chocolate styles as part of New Balance's forthcoming lifestyle lineup. Out of the four fresh pairs, this white and purple makeup is the closest to the 550's original purpose as a 'team bank' basketball shoe thanks to its sporty details and two-tone colour scheme.

Uppers are made of both smooth and perforated white leather, while the purple detailing is spread around from heel to forefoot. Some of its most notable applications are around the collar, on the midfoot logo, atop the tongue tag and on the lateral forefoot's signature 550 branding. Other logos include a NB hit on the heel and a raised tonal text graphic on the midsole. If you're having a bit of deja vu looking at this sneaker, that's understandable – New Balance also released a purple and white 550 back in 2021, but that style offered a different purple shade, an off-white midsole and a suede toebox overlay.

Official word on a release date for this New Balance 550 has yet to surface, but when it does drop it should retail for $110.

To learn about another New Balance silhouette that took the jump from under-the-radar performance shoe to lifestyle favourite, check out a brief history of the 2002R here.