After what feels like a rather long silence – nearly a year, in fact – the AURALEE x New Balance 475 is finally dropping this week. First shown at Paris Fashion Week last June, the understated collab now has a release date: 16 May. Two colourways, “Vintage Yellow” and “Vintage Grey,” priced at ¥26,400 JPY (around $182 USD), available via AURALEE, New Balance, and a handful of select stockists.
Ryota Iwai, AURALEE’s founder and creative director, has history with New Balance. You may remember his versions of the 990v4 and the WRPD Runner – both calm, tonal, and subtly elevated from the original. This time it’s the 475, a simpler shape from New Balance’s back catalogue, originally designed as a tough, supportive trainer in the mid-1980s. That DNA remains intact – dual-density EVA, breathable nylon, a robust outsole – but it’s been softened and made palatable for 2025.
The shoes fit neatly into the mood of AURALEE’s SS25 collection, which was full of sun-faded tones and quiet texture. Here, premium suede and mesh give the 475 a worn-in finish. “We wanted to accent the already vintage-inspired notes of the model with a well-worn, sun-tinged feel,” said Iwai.
The AURALEE x New Balance 475 colours are great. “Vintage Yellow” is really more of a pale green – somewhere between celery and pistachio – and “Vintage Grey” mixes soft brown and charcoal in a way that’s closer to natural earth than concrete. They don’t shout, but they’re memorable. The kind of trainers that work with everything from relaxed tailoring to selvedge denim.
As ever with AURALEE, it’s not about reinvention. It’s about refinement. The 475 isn’t a statement shoe. It’s not trying to go viral. It’s just a good, grown-up trainer in considered colours, with a pleasing shape and a point of view. You should try and get a pair before they’re gone.
Next up: The greatest New Balance sneakers of all time.
