The New Balance 550 Delivers Another Take on “Sea Salt”

A clean-cut approach.

Sneaker News August 6th, 2025 (updated)

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It’s been a long journey for the New Balance 550. From obscurity to the heights of being the “it” shoe for the better part of twelve months, to a descent into being completely washed, the 550 has now gone through the ebb and flow cycle that all trendy sneakers endure at some point. Will there be a future for the late-80s basketball model?

There’s no question that the Boston brand has pulled back on their 550 production, but there are still a handful of selections that pop up season after season. There are, after all, the die-hards that were born out of the early 2020s era, and thankfully the brand has chose to keep an understated approach to what was once the best retro hoops shoe on the market.

Here we see the most repeated color in the New Balance catalog. “Sea Salt” is comparable to Nike’s “Sail” shade that has become a staple for lifestyle skewed footwear, and attached with whites and light greys, this 550 is the right clean-cut approach.

For those who are still devoted to the model, New Balance just dropped these online for $109.99.