For a brand that wraps itself in the American flag so often, New Balance is surprisingly international. A few weeks back we took a look at a couple of Made-in-UK models, but it doesn’t stop there. As you can probably guess by the name of this article, New Balance also has a design studio based in Tokyo, Japan. This studio is tasked with taking classic designs and reworking them to fit Japan’s more fashion-forward look.

If you’re at all familiar with New Balance you know how the models go, at least here in the U.S. There is the 990, which later got 5 more revisions. Then there is the 992, the 993, etc. However, you might have noticed that in the Made-in-America line there is one missing. That’s because if you’re looking for the first time New Balance updated their famous 990 you have to look across the Atlantic Ocean. You need to check out the UK-made New Balance 991.

The New Balance 990 series needs no introductions. Famously worn by supermodels in London and dads in Ohio, the sneaker has been a staple for decades and recently became a hit in the sneakerhead world as well. What makes that all the more impressive is the price. This isn’t a Dunk or 550 where it’s only a bit more than your average sneaker. They are famous for being the first sneaker to cross the 3-figure mark way back in 1982 – that’s $308 dollars in 2022. For Ohio dads to shell out for something like that there must have been a reason.

The New Balance 650 Aime Leon Dore is the follow up to the smash hit 550. Is it better? Worse? Click to find out.