Aimé Leon Dore and New Balance will continue their venerable partnership this week with a new crop of the 550 and 650 sneakers.
With four pairs releasing in total, both the 550 and 650 take on colorways invoking the NBA’s two most historic franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The timing couldn’t be better either, as this week marks the beginning of the new NBA season.
The New Balance 550, a low-top and the most crucial silhouette in ALD’s years-long series of collaborations, takes on an eggshell color throughout its upper and midsole to emanate a sense of vintage. The outsole, underlays, and contrast stitching then make use of either purple and yellow or green and grey nodding to the two franchises with 17 titles a piece.
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Arriving in a pure white, the higher-cut 650 arrives with a similar arrangement and the addition of black accents for the Celtics pair. As has become standard, all four pairs feature ALD’s basketball apple logo on the tongue as part of a caterpillar-like arrangement and on the left half of two mismatched heels.
To promote the latest New Balance capsule, ALD posted a New Yorker-esque cartoon highlighting different basketball skills honed through the boroughs of New York City and Long Island.
Raffles for all four pairs of the Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 550 and 650s are available to purchase through a raffle on ALD’s website open now through 11:59 p.m. EST Wednesday, Oct. 25. A standard first come, first come release will then follow Friday through ALD’s website and physical stores. New Balance will then host an additional release Nov. 2 through its website. Pricing for the 550 is set at $130, while the 650 is $165.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
