Now unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that the New Balance 550 has taken over 2022. Whilst the Nike Dunk was the hottest topic on everyone's lips last year, Boston-based brand New Balance has made quite the impact in the last five months at breaking down the dad-sneaker stigma (something they'd begun working towards mid-2020) and making a name for themselves amongst sneakerheads and influencers alike.

In case you didn't know, before 2020 the New Balance 550 had been lost in NB's archives since the late 1980s. Teddy Santis, of Aimé Leon Dore, found the silhouette in an old New Balance catalogue and decided that it was perfect for his next collaboration with the sneaker brand. Since then, the silhouette has gone from strength to strength, and 2022 is set to be the biggest year for the lifestyle sneaker yet. You can read more about this here.

Whilst there's still loads to look forward to, such as more Aimé Leon Dore iterations as well as Comme des Garçons Homme taking the design reins, we're going to take a look at our top six New Balance 550s of 2022 so far. Do you agree with this list? Let us know over on our Twitter page.

Related article: New Balance 550 Sizing

The New Balance 550 "Grey Blue" is one colourful iteration that looks super cute in the hues we know and love from other silhouettes. The grey suede we've seen before takes over the toe cap, whilst the majority of the rest of the design is blue, including the large 'N' logo on the medial and lateral sidewalls.

Coming in at number five we have the New Balance 550 "Burgundy Cyan". Although not everyone's favourite colour combination, we thought that putting together a traditionally autumn hue with a spring one was the ideal recipe for making a brilliant all-year-round sneaker. As well as this, the vintage-style, off-white midsole is a feature we've been loving on all silhouettes this year, and the 550 is no exception.

Whilst only releasing as an in-store exclusive, the New Balance 550 "Mint" hasn't taken over the 'gram quite as much as other colourways, however it deserves a shout-out nonetheless. Crisp spring tones combined with a clean white base is always bound to be a winner - and who doesn't love sage green! Arguably the colour of the year for both fashion and sneakers, we couldn't ignore this NB 550 when curating our list.

Maybe we're biased because we just bloody love a pair of pink sneakers, but the New Balance 550 "White Pink" is *the* cutest iteration to date. Highlighting all the usual accents in the baby-pink hue makes for one adorable 550. We also love the fact that this one comes with a suede toe box in the same tone; something a little different from the others on this list.

Dropping alongside the previously mentioned "Pink" 550, the New Balance 550 "Café Au Lait", or "White Brown" if you're boring, just beats pink to the number two spot thanks to its vintage-coloured base and yellowed-out N logo. Like the pink, this pair have a suede toe cap, but it this time appears in a grey colouring that complements the rest of the tones on the shoe nicely. We certainly didn't think twice about adding these to our collection.

Topping the list we have the unrivalled New Balance 550 "UNC" or "Light Blue". You just can't go wrong with a North Carolina-inspired colourway, can you? Although this decision needs no explanation, let us tell you that these are the sneakers we reach for every day without fail; all our other pairs are feeling somewhat neglected! Easy to style and ridiculously good looking, the New Balance 550 "UNC" appeals to everyone, regardless of their taste. A well-deserving #1.

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