i remember back in hs, i used to think new balances were nike knockoffs cuz of the N. their designs/price and everything about them looked cheap.
fast forward like 10 years later. and new balances got their own styling and branding.
i wont even front, some of their "casual" shoes are kinda dope. new balances got collabos with other brands, notably jcrew.
they def got some cool designs, and are no longer cheap. they got a lot that are in the 100+ range. they got a few that are like close to 200 i believe.