The 990’s original designers were tasked with creating the single best running shoe on the market. The finished product more than lived up to its billing. When it hit shelves for the first time in 1982 the 990 sported an elegantly understated grey colorway, and a then unheard of three-figure price tag. For avid runners and ahead of the curve tastemakers alike, the 990 was a mark of quality and superior taste. There have been updates to the design since ’82, and more color options, but the 990’s aspirational status symbol aura has never changed. Simply put, the 990 is the shoe so good, that we’ve never stopped making it. The MADE in USA 990v4, originally introduced in 2016, continued to refine the v3's modernization of the silhouette with a streamlined take on the mesh and pigskin suede overlay upper construction and fine-tuned adjustments to the cushioning.

New Balance MADE U.S. footwear contains a domestic value of 70% or more. MADE makes up a limited portion of New Balance’s US sales.