New Balance + YCMC Drop Tax Season-Themed 990V5 Sneakers

The icy colorway is inspired by U.S. Treasury tax refund checks.

Streetwear retailer YCMC and New Balance’s latest sneaker collab celebrates the only good part about tax season: the refund. 

A cheekily named “Big Checks and No Stress” edition of New Balance’s American-made 990v5 silhouette is decked out in the same colors as the United States Treasury-marked checks themselves. 

Constructed from a combo of athletic mesh and swanky pig suede, the kicks’ colorway follows an icy gradient that begins with a teal heel, leads to a beige upper, and finishes with a breezy white toebox. The New Balance “N” logo gets the same graded theme, while the shock-absorbing ENCAP midsole appears in silver and white, as Hypebeast notes. 

A set of either teal or red laces tops off the design, and each pair is presented with a fake refund check, security-printed tissue paper and an envelope-inspired shopping bag.

The blingy 990v5 variant follows a re-release of the coveted New Balance 1300JP, which was only attainable via lottery. The athleticwear brand previously collaborated with Todd Snyder on a particularly vibrant M997 sneaker and two ale-themed models. 

Priced at $175, the YCMC x New Balance 990v5 “Big Checks and No Stress” drops on the YCMC webstore and at Shoe City locations on March 6.