Anyone familiar with sneakers knows that New Balance's 550 is undoubtedly a classic basketball shoe, despite its recent reign as the kick of choice for hype-savvy Instagram kings. Masu. And when it comes to manufacturing basketball shoes, who better to design them than one of the NBA's greatest sports executives?
In 2021, Rich Paul released his first 550 with New Balance, making him the first sports agent to collaborate on a sneaker. The sneakers had a chic, retro design, combining cream-colored leather with navy blue accents. Two years later, Paul is doing things a little differently. His second 550 collaboration, “Forever Yours,” will be released on July 14th. With the new Lilac 550 and matching athletic apparel, this collaboration is less about sport and spectacle than it is about love.
“When you think of someone loving something, you automatically think of red,” he told Esquire. “I didn't want to do that, so I wanted to strip it down a bit. The gray and violet colors felt soft and perfect for summer.”
Rich Paul works on the creation of the new 550, from conceptualizing the sneaker to styling it from head to toe.
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First of all, congratulations on this sneaker collaboration. I think this is my second collaboration with New Balance, but it's the first time I've done a sneaker collaboration like this as a sports agent, so this is a really big deal. How did this partnership between you and New Balance come about?
It just came from an idea.talk to [senior vice president] Chris Davis talks about “what if” and goes through a conversational process to explain what I thought and why. Because New Balance is a privately held company, we have the flexibility to move things forward on an ad hoc basis. Chris came up with the idea and then we started working on the colors and themes behind it and what was important to me in his first piece. The first one went really well, so that led to this one.
For this work, it still worked out well, but COVID-19 got in the way of the previous work, so I had a little more time to think about it. But this time I wanted to really focus on my love for the game and play it. Love for her, love for the game, love for something someone was passionate about, and an understanding of just “Forever Yours.”
What was it about the 550 in particular that made you want to use this style again for your second collaboration?
The 550 has always had a nostalgic feel to me. As a kid, I was a sneakerhead before it was actually cool to be a sneakerhead or a platform for sneakerheads existed. When I started getting passionate about sneakers, you didn't have a platform to show how much of a sneakerhead you were. Regarding 550, it was like this, but for the first time [collab], I didn't think the 550 silhouette was new, but it wasn't well known or understood. I feel like a lot of people now support the 550, so I wanted to bring it back again. Next time, the silhouette will be different.
So, after this, the following works are lined up.
Yeah, I mean, keep going.
I love hearing that. How does this drop fit into the Klutch Athletics aesthetic and vocabulary you already have with New Balance?
I believe this focuses solely on Rich Paul, but also includes the Klutch Athletics aesthetic. The actual color is called gray-purple, so of course you can wear gray. You can combine gray and gray-violet if you want, but they certainly drive in two separate lanes.
Why did you choose the gray-purple color scheme, which is close to lilac? It's very different from the first pair of 550s you made.
I wanted to focus on my love for something and I wanted clarity. When we think of someone loving something, we automatically think of the color red. And I didn't want to do that, so I wanted to throw it away a little bit. I thought the gray and violet colors were soft and perfect for summer.
Why are there rose graphics on the shoes?
It's about bonding with love for something. When you love someone, like on Valentine's Day or someone's birthday, you give them flowers. It was tied to the idea that you could talk to a better partner or even someone near and dear to your heart. Who doesn't love roses?
What was the design process for this shoe? How long ago did you start working on it?
It was probably right after the other one fell. I just go back and forth with New Balance. In reality, consider the apparel first and then place the shoes at the center of the apparel. If you look at this year's apparel, it's a little different than previous apparel. Pairing it with bright colors will make it lighter. This time I wore a pullover and hoodie, shorts and a t-shirt, and his summer button-down shirt. I thought this was pretty cool. I've always been a creative person and someone who tries to match fashion with my passions. Therefore, it took some time before I actually considered it. And the New Balance team has always been a great support.
How do you personally style this shoe?
In fact, I've been wearing it for over a year now and have dressed it up and down. I received various samples and tried them on. I like to wear it with an actual set: a pullover top and pants, or shorts and a pullover. You can also play together. When I was doing this, the emphasis was on the female touch. I think women in the fashion industry are on a very different level than men, so I wanted to get buy-in from women as well.
Yeah, completely. In other words, I would wear it with skirts, dresses, pants, jeans…
That's exactly how I was thinking. Because originally I was going to make a 650. I had a woman in mind, but then I was like. That may be a little too much for the class. I went back to the 550 because I wanted it to be acceptable to the masses.
I have a feeling that once these decrease, everyone will start wearing this to the office, whether it's a suit or jeans.
And that's another one. When he first made his first shoe, he thought, if artists can have their own shoes, why can't his CEO? I wasn't looking at it from a sports agent's perspective, but more like a CEO, an executive, who has his own shoes. Because executives want to be comfortable when they go to work. Still professional, but comfortable – that was my thought process.
