MONTHLY SNEAKER REVIEW: MAY 2021

by Sam Le Roy 2 years ago

by Sam Le Roy 2 years ago 2min

From a consumer’s perspective, the sneaker scene is coming to a point where everything is perfectly balanced; while Nike and Jordan Brand have seen huge success over the past years, and will undoubtedly continue to do so for many more, the “hype” for classic styles like the Dunk and Jordan 1 is slowing down as a result of en-masse production. It seems as if a new colourway is released every weekend, and while a lot of these pairs are great, it’s hard to keep up a consistent level of excitement with this much supply.

That said, the “big releases” of the month are dominated by the Swoosh. These are the sneakers that garnered the most attention this month, and as such command a high resale price, as one would expect.

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Looking past the headline collaborations between Nike and their seemingly endless list of partners – your favourite rapper, retail store, skater – there are a ton of great sneakers releasing from near enough every brand in the scene. I’m particularly excited by the offering presented by adidas; heritage silhouettes like the Samba and Superstar are picking up traction after being revitalised through the inclusion of plant-based vegan leathers, and we’re finally seeing some interest from the “sneakerhead” crowd towards the German sportswear giant after a relative lull in hysteria for their products in the wake of the Boost era.

New Balance is enjoying huge success riding the coattails of their killer 2020, particularly so with the 99X line and the smash-hit Aimé Leon Dore 550, of which a duo of colorway released a couple weeks ago.

Reebok is coming from strength to strength, whether it be the streetwear arm led by Leo Gamboa or the more experimental efforts headed by Ryan Forsyth. Their recent collaborative output with Cottweiler is a great adaptation to the Zig 3D Storm Hydro – my favourite new sneaker of the year – and follows Evan Belforti’s futurist design sensibilities seen on the Premier Road Modern from last year.