Aimé Leon Dore and New Balance Unveil Two Suede-Swathed New Balance 550s

Update: Following last month’s preview, Aimé Leon Dore has provided a detailed breakdown of its latest New Balance 550 collaboration. Both colorways have been outfitted with hairy suede overlays and canvas underlays while co-branding arrives at the tongue, heel and sockliner. Priced at $130 USD, pairs are up for raffle until May 10 at 11:59pm EDT via Aimé Leon Dore. For more details, dive into our initial coverage below.

Original Story: After introducing new models like the 860v2 and the Ranier into their collaborative lexicon, Aimé Leon Dore and New Balance are back to doin’ what they do best: slangin’ crispy co-created takes on the 550. Two new colorways of the low-top basketball-turned-lifestyle sneaker — “Taupe” and “Brown” — have appeared on the ALD webstore, and each diverges from the two’s co-created efforts in 2022, 2021 and 2020 in two major ways: color (of course) and construction.

Suede is used much more heavily on this dynamic duo than it has been in past years, gracing almost the entirety of the midfoot as well as much of the toebox and heel. Leather, a core material of Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 550 drops in 2022, 2021 and 2020 is nowhere to be seen either as the rest of the upper is constructed of a canvas or hemp-like material, not dissimilar to the textile seen on the recently-revealed 550 “Hemp” colorway.

From a colorway standpoint, “Taupe” offers a versatile mixture of medium and light tan shades, a three-season color scheme that compliments ALD’s more neutral pieces. “Brown,” on the other hand, offers a more bold contrast with its rich, earthy suede shades reminiscent of a luxurious suede smoking jacket. Both pairs are completed with off-white midsoles and staple branded hits like special tongue tags and midfoot embellishments.

At the time of writing, a release date for the Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 550 in “Taupe” and “Brown” has yet to be revealed. However, they should be releasing in the coming weeks as they’re already loaded on the brand’s webstore. When they do drop, they’ll likely retail for $130 USD.

For more news on upcoming sneaker releases, be sure to check out the latest installment of Hypebeast’s weekly Best Footwear Drops list.