On-Feet Look At The New Balance 577 "Year Of The Rat"

The New Balance 577 "Year Of The Rat" (M577YOR) is a retro running shoe from New Balance that celebrates the 2020 Chinese New Year. Check out this exclusive post to view the unboxing video and our initial impressions.

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A post shared by The Retro Insider | Sneakers (@theretroinsider) on Jan 30, 2020 at 1:59pm PST

Unboxing Video:

Quick Hits:

Here are a few of my initial thoughts after unboxing this New Balance 577 “Year of the Rat”

• This is my first “Made in England” New Balance and overall I’m impressed with quality.

• I really love the colors used on this shoe’s upper. The subtle hints of blue, purple, pink and even green really do work well together.

• The red indsole and rat on the interior label are also nice touches that no one sees, but makes the shoe a little more special for the Chinese New Year holiday.

• This silhouette closely resembles the New Balance 574, but the toe area is much slimmer when it comes to the height.

• This is definitely a shoe that you want to stay true-to-size with and it’s probably do to the toe box area being so slim.

How Is The Quality?

New Balance’s Boston and Flimby factories are known for cranking out some of the best sneakers in the game and this shoe is no exception. Special touches that celebrate the Chinese New Year and help give the shoe its “Year of the Rat” nickname also add the shoe’s premium feel.

The Materials

Suede: The shoe’s upper is comprised of high-quality cuts of pig-skin suede that come in various shades of blue, purple, pink, and green.Perforated suede appears on the toe and heel area, while the rest of the shoe is the traditional variety.

3M & Plastic: A small portion of grey 3M appear on the shoe’s upper, by the toe area. Rounding out the shoe’s materials, there is a white plastic support strap for added stability.

“The red insole and rat on the interior label are also nice touches that no one sees, but makes the shoe a little more special for the Chinese New Year holiday.”

— Jared w. | @jaredxwatson

The construction

The construction of the shoe was decent, but not perfect. In some images of the shoe, you can see stray stitches in multiple areas, which is unlike New Balance.

When it comes to the construction of shoes, each individual pair is going to be different, so this should in no way be a deal-breaker for you if you’re interested in copping a pair.

How Is The Fit & Comfort?

Midsole Technology

This shoe’s midsole is made from New Balance’s ENCAP Technology, which is known for being extremely durable and providing all-day comfort.

The ride is plush, but more on the firmer side which leads to the shoe being able to maintain its comfort level over a longer period of time, compared to newer technologies.

FiT & Sizing

As far as the fit, the New Balance 577 can be described as being a bit snug in the toe area. Not in a bad way, but definitely different than the New Balance 998 or New Balance 574 which have higher toe-boxes.

Because of the slim nature of the toe-box, I would highly suggest that you stay true-to-size (TTS) in the shoe, and if you’re in between sizes, definitely opt for the larger size.

Where To Buy:

I was able to purchase this shoe for retail from Fresh Rags which is a lifestyle and sneaker boutique based in Florida that also has an online store.

Most retailers have sold-out in most sizes of this shoe, so you’ll have to go to the secondary market to get a pair for yourself.

More Images:

I Want Your Opinion:

What do you think about the New Balance 577 “Year of the Rat” ?