A Shoe for the People

The humble legacy of the New Balance 574

When it first debuted in 1988, the New Balance 574 was a sneaker meant to represent accessible design. As designer Steven Smith confessed in an interview with size? UK: “I think the marketing team has explained it as a value version of the 500 series,” further explaining that the design of the shoe is actually a hybrid of two previous models he designed—the bottom takes after the New Balance 577 and the upper is a repurposed version from the New Balance 576. On top of that, the shoe was being made just as Smith was leaving New Balance for a gig at adidas.