mfpen x New Balance 992 Strips the Side "N" Logo, Leaving Just a Row of Empty Stitch Holes

Where the "N" should be stitched onto the side of the shoe, there's now just a neat row of stitch holes — empty. This is the biggest talking point of mfpen's first-ever collaboration with New Balance on the 992, and exactly why the shoe turned heads at Copenhagen Fashion Week.

mfpen is a niche Danish menswear label known for giving classic tailoring a relaxed, off-duty feel — its whole vibe leans toward "elevated normcore." This collab with New Balance on the 992 marks the brand's first foray into sneakers. The shoe debuted at mfpen's Spring/Summer 2027 show during Copenhagen Fashion Week. The pairing makes sense on paper: both brands share a soft spot for muted, low-saturation colorways, and both have a knack for making "plain" look genuinely refined.

This 992 builds on New Balance's classic Made in USA grey palette, but tweaks every material along the way. The mesh underlay shifts to a creamier off-white tone, paired with a lighter shade of grey suede, while the leather overlay carries a subtle metallic sheen — three shades of grey layered together for a more nuanced finish than the original. The tongue sees the biggest change: instead of the usual mesh-and-leather combo, it's swapped for a single panel of suede with exposed foam, giving it an unfinished, deconstructed look. The laces have also been switched out for a retro two-tone style.

But the real conversation piece is the missing "N" on both the side panel and inner side of the shoe. The brand removed the logo itself while deliberately keeping the stitch holes that once held it in place — an instant visual cue that "something used to be here." Everything else brand-related stays put: the handwritten "New Balance" and "USA" script at the heel, plus the small "992" text on the side, remain untouched.

For now, the mfpen x New Balance 992 has only made its debut on the runway, with no release date announced yet.