New Balance 574 Rugged 'Black Marble Sole'
Colorway: Black/Grey · Style code: ML574DX2 · Release date: May 30, 2023 · Price: $2402 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: New Balance 574 'Pennant Pack' (ML574) · New Balance 574 'Incense' (ML574AA2) · New Balance 574 'Natural Indigo Maple' (ML574AB2) · New Balance 574 'Rain Cloud Maple' (ML574AC2) · Alpha Industries x New Balance 574 'Sedona Seige Grey' (ML574AI2)
The midsole carries the idea. Instead of a single moulded colour, the EVA is marbled, black and grey swirled through the foam rather than laid on in blocks. Above it the upper is black suede with grey behind it, deliberately plain, because a busy sole and a busy upper would cancel each other out. The Rugged platform keeps the lugged outsole that separates this version of the shoe from the standard one.
New Balance released the pair on May 30, 2023 at $90. Marbled foam has become a standard way to add interest to a midsole without printing anything on it, and on a shoe recoloured as many times as this one it is one of the few places left to try something new. The shape has not moved: it is still the outline Steven Smith assembled by putting a 576 upper on a 577 sole to make a cheaper entry into New Balance's off-road 500 series. Working underneath the upper rather than on it is how the model stays in production without being redesigned.