Real/Fake New Balance MT580 Mad Stussy

Recently, there have been sightings of fake New Balance MT580 "Mad Stussy" shoes in the market. The similarities between the real and fake versions are very close and it is not easy to tell them apart unless you know where to look. This here is an attempt to distinguish the two.

A little history of MT580
New Balance shoes go by a Footwear Coding System, where the front alphabets denote gender, activity or special range of footwear. The numbers indicate the series and version. Lastly the back alphabets indicate the colourway of the shoe.

The MT580 range of footwear is a special customization by New Balance Japan and Japanese footwear chain MITA sneakers, hence explaining the "MT" prefix of the model number. The MT580 is exclusive to MITA and the Japanese market.
From this range of MT580 shoes, they are further divided into general lines and "further" collaborations involving clothing lines and celebrities. The MT580 "Mad Stussy" shoes are part of the clothing collaborations, namely between Japanese clothing label "Real Mad Hectic" and US fashion label "Stussy".

There are 2 colourways released of the "Mad Stussy" shoes, MT580AG - Avocado/Golden Rod and MT580TB - Thrush/Beige

The following are the pictures of the FAKE MT580AG :

Pic 1: FAKE MT580AG, note the New Balance tags are on the LEFT shoe

Pic 2: FAKE MT580AG HEEL STITCHING, note the spacing between letters, especially the "u" of "stussy"

Pic 3: FAKE MT580AG SIDE, note the toe box area and the label of the big "N"

Pic 4: FAKE MT580AG BACK, note the tone and fabric of the yellow nylon portion

The following are the pictures of the REAL MT580AG:

Pic 5: REAL MT580AG
COMPARE with Pic 3.
[1]- The green area of the FAKE toe box is longer than the REAL version, creating a shorter looking toe box.
[2]- The reflective grey panel joining the toe box to the side panel of the FAKE is smaller than the REAL pair.
[3]- The yellow-coloured leather backing of the big "N" is slightly larger for the FAKE than the REAL pair.
Compare to Pic 4.
[4]- The REAL shoe has a Darker tone of yellow, and the nylon fabric is coarse, not smooth like the FAKE.

Pic 6: REAL MT580AG HEEL, stitching is tidy

Pic 7: REAL MT580AG INSOLE, note that
A brand new pair should have the sticker denoting shoe size on the insole.
The insole should read "MAD STUSSY", and the words of each pair of insoles should be facing each other.
The New Balance tags are on the RIGHT shoe.

Pic 8: REAL MT580AG OUTSOLE

The above information is for the Real/Fake distinction of the MT580AG, click here for the Real/Fake distinction of MT580TB

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Disclaimer: The pictures on the site are taken from resources freely available from the net. I am not responsible if you purchase a fake shoe just based on the information on these pages.