New Balance Numeric, the Boston brand’s popular skate sub-label, and Baltimore’s Vu Skate Shop have released a collaborative take on the former’s 440v2.

The 440v2, which first released in February 2024, is a sleek evolution of the OG New Balance Numeric 440 that itself only dropped less than three years ago.

Simply put, New Balance Numeric’s 440v2 is an objectively stellar-looking sneaker. So much so that it’s arguably too stunning to skate in.

Then New Balance’s Vu Skate Shop 440v2 ups the ante even further and arrives like some sort of Frankenstein’d 990 disguised as a NB Numeric skate shoe.

This 440v2 features a ribbed ‘N’ on the tongue referencing classic New Balance while the orange felt-lined tongue, custom chess-themed insole graphic, and formstone inspired colorway tell a layered story unique to Baltimore.

Vu Skate Shop

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Despite its slightly new make-up, Vu Skate Shop’s 440v2 comes with everything you’d expect of New Balance’s high-level skate shoes: a robust midsole, a padded tongue, and an upper comprising patches of suede, mesh, and pigskin.

Only difference being that this new iteration looks deceptively 990-esque, which is of course, a good thing – especially for me, a long-time 990 aficionado. 

Vu Skate Shop’s New Balance 440v2, which dropped at the Balitmore store on April 10 and will land at New Balance on April 15, is undoubtedly NB Numeric’s best-looking skate sneaker yet. And the fact that it also looks like a 990 is just a bonus.