Go Retro With the New Balance BB550

We are slowly catching sight of the light at the end of the really long tunnel we’ve been in for over a year now. With the world slowly opening up again and more of us gradually seeing some semblance of normalcy little by little, we can only hope basketball courts welcome us back real soon. 

New Balance brings vibrance to the bleakest of times with its new hoops collection releasing. Giving props to probably the most colorful era in basketball, the Boston-based brand brings back the BB550, a silhouette that’s been making a lot of noise the past few months when it first made its return late last year, it’s first reemergence since the late 1980s.

Photo by New Balance.

Color combos

We’ve seen a variety of colorways with the BB550’s second coming, most notably used as Aimé Leon Dore’s canvas of choice for the label’s co-branded project with New Balance, which first dropped in October before word broke out that Teddy Santis was coming on board as Creative Director for New Balance’s MADE in the USA starting next year.

Having a very classic look to it, a lot of the color combos we’ve initially been treated to have so far matched the timeless theme of the sneaker with a common subdued vintage reverence. This particular pair definitely has to be where the designers kicked their feet up and just had a good time with the color palette. 

Photo by New Balance.

Photo by New Balance.

Most of this retro basketball sneaker’s leather upper comes in white with a large navy heel counter with a yellow NB logo on it giving it contrast. The familiar N logo in bright red can be seen on both lateral and medial sides of the shoe with overlays in the same color and black are seen on the top part of the midsole extending towards the heel counter. A pine green ankle collar wraps around the shoe, while a yellow panel on the heel portion of the non-marking outsole creeps up to almost half the midsole while black and green fill out the rest of the shoe’s bottom.

The same yellow colors the ‘550’ branding found on the shoe’s lateral near the laces. The funky retro looking tongue tab also is worth mentioning. The choice of colors for this pair is pretty identical to the 237s we featured a couple of months ago but we’re not complaining. We loved it then and it still looks great with this style now. The 550 also features Ortholite comfort foam insoles for long-term cushioning, high-level breathability, and lightweight comfort.

Complete the look with a jacket and shorts  

Complementing the sneakers and rounding up the Colorized Court Collection are an equally colorful woven jacket and woven shorts with the same predominantly red-navy-green scheme. These are absolutely perfect for looking our flyest on the sidelines while waiting for when it’s safe to get back on the court again.

Photo by Mikko Abello.

Photo by Mikko Abello.

This Colorized iteration of the BB550 retails for P5,495 while the NB BBall Woven Jacket and Shorts go for P4,495 and P2,995 respectively. The New Balance Colorized Court Collection was released globally on Saturday, May 22, and is available at New Balance shops all around the metro. While you’re at it, our pro tip is to check out their newly opened flagship store at Powerplant Mall in Rockwell, Makati. You can thank us later.

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