As the last frosts retreat and the spring undergrowth pushes through, a rare and sought-after delicacy reveals itself. Camouflaged in the leaves and ground cover, the morel mushroom is a wild forager’s secret, only appearing for a short time in its natural environment and commonly near where it sprouted the season before. Like the morels, when the snow ahead melts away, we return to our familiar weathered Michigan skate spots, this time with a collaborative New Balance Numeric 480 on our feet.

The 480PMR features a morel cap pattern debossed onto the leather upper and is highlighted by a Morchella colored “N” and tongue tag made of HyphaLite™ TC, a sustainable leather-like plant-based material produced with the fruiting bodies of mushrooms. Like morels, the shoe's neutral-toned colorings offers a range from cool greys to warm tans and deeper browns. Co-branding appears at the tongue tag, insole, side tagging, and custom packaging, which includes a second set of hiker-style laces, a foraging shoe bag and sticker.