This week saw a host of rumours surface, whether it be Nike revisiting early 2000’s classics like the Air Kukini and the Steven Smith designed Hello Kitty x Nike collaboration, or new-gen collaborations from Sean Wotherspoon with adidas. Next week, we’re set to receive a number of releases from the likes of Pharrell Williams and Kerwin Frost, as well as two killer in-line releases from the Swoosh which I can’t leave unmentioned. Read on and get in the know with this week in sneakers.

THIS WEEK’S NEWS: 16.08.21 – 23.08.21

THE NIKE AIR KUKINI IS SET TO RERELEASE IN 2022
The Nike Air Kukini is widely recognised by sneaker enthusiasts – albeit those of an older generation than Gen-Z – as a no-compromise runner featuring unique functional design and divisive colorways. The most famous iteration of the Kukini is an “Aqua” colorway in which it debuted, and it’s believed that the silhouette is set to see a comprehensive re-release in 2022; not just a mediocre sole swap like we saw in 2010, or an uninspiring hybrid like the one Stüssy released last year, but a full remaster. I couldn’t be happier.

IS STEVEN SMITH’S ICONIC HELLO KITTY PRESTO BEING REVISITED?
Presto lovers worldwide are rejoicing at the rumours that the hallowed Hello Kitty colorways that were released (or frustratingly, only shown off as samples) as a celebration of the mascot’s 30th anniversary in 2004 are being revisited by the Nike team with plans to come back as a retro. The pairs were originally dreamed up by Steven Smith – who now heads up Kanye’s team at Yeezy – and Hiroshi Fujiwara – who’s in the midst of a slew of collaborative Nike releases with his brand fragment design – and were intended to release in a production run in the hundreds. What ended up happening was a complete scrapping of the release, with only 12 pairs being given out to family and friends and others being used in promotional material. Allegedly, we can expect to see these release for the holiday season, and it’s unclear as to whether we’re getting a full retro or a new design.

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SUPREME’S NEW AIR FORCE 1 IS A LOVE LETTER TO NEW YORKERS
The Air Force 1 “Flax” is an undisputed icon, being released near enough every year in massive quantities, and always being bought up and donned on the streets of New York City in replacement for the snow-ready Timbs – colloquially called “yuttas” – in autumn and spring months. Supreme’s lookbook unveiling last week showed off the Flax Air Force 1 adorned with a box logo on the lateral heel, adding another level of flex to the already iconic colorway.

THIS WEEK’S RELEASES: 23.08.21 – 29.08.21

The biggest release of the week is without a doubt the three-way joint effort from Nike, sacai and Hiroshi Fujiwara’s fragment design, which sees the release of a duo of colorways of the widely-loved LDWaffle silhouette. While the collaboration makes little sense to me – it seems like they’ve just thrown the fragment name in there for no reason – the pair will undoubtedly release to fanfare and mass hysteria. If I had to pick, it’d be the navy colorway, but I’m in no rush to pick these up.

My personal favorite release of the week is the Pharrell Williams-led Sičhona, which arrives as a knitted, futuristic runner full of the life we praised Pharrell for bringing to the NMD many years ago. The shape is aggressive, the colorway uncompromising and the branding is just right – more like this adidas, and you’ll be back on track to sit on the big boy table again.

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A close runner up – only because of the scarcity – is the Japanese-exclusive ISPA Drifter coming in a hand-crafted, indigo dyed iteration. I want this to be a standard practice on each and every Nike ISPA release, being an initiative I’m so in love with. The clash of futuristic design cues and heritage techniques is the perfect juxtaposition.

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The other two pairs I must highlight are the Move to Zero Air Force 1 – which releases on my birthday and comes as an environmentally conscious take on the certified classic – and the frankly ridiculous collaboration between jokester Kerwin Frost and adidas Originals. What appears to be a Superstar is actually an ode to clowns and mascots worldwide, with each pair being supersized to appear many sizes larger than they actually are, in another eclectic release from the Three Stripes following up on the Tommy Cash-designed superlong Superstar.