Aimé Leon Dore played the role of fire starter for the return of the 550, and New Balance is hoping it can do the same for the T500. And for good measure, Coco Gauff is also involved.
The tennis phenom stars in the campaign for the collaboration, which sees Aimé Leon Dore ushering in the return of the archival tennis sneaker. Originally released in 1982, the shoe reappears in a tasteful trio of colorways to match its low-profile construction. White forms the basis of all three, with accent colors coming through on the “N” logo, mustache, and lining in either red, green, or black.
Further details remain to be revealed, but the teaser has all the hallmarks of an ALD affair from the style of the sneakers to that of the campaign. The inclusion of Gauff, a signature athlete for New Balance, suggests that the T500 will be a major point of focus going forward. Aimé Leon Dore should help build hype before in-line releases see the model get wider availability in a variety of color schemes. The 550 has become ubiquitous among young people with even the loosest connection with style, and if the 500 gets anywhere close to that level, it would surely be considered a success.
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New Balance also has a downmarket turf baseball shoe bearing the same name, but it doesn’t appear to have any other connection to the ’80s sneaker. There’s actually very little information on the sneaker online, with NB only now looking to bring it back despite many other models from the era still enduring to this day. Vintage pairs can be found fairly easily, however, and give us a closer look at the model until ALD is ready to zoom-in itself.
Stay tuned as we await more information on the Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance T500.
