The week saw many newsworthy stories hit social media, from the likes of Kith and Ronnie Fieg to heavyweight Travis Scott, the sneaker scene isn’t lacking releases or rumours of any kind. Looking forward, there’s a fair few pairs scheduled to hit shelves this week, from Nike and adidas to skate titan Vans and a collaboration with JJJJound. Have a read and get in the know.
THIS WEEK’S NEWS: 02/08/2021 – 09/08/2021
SNKRS DAY VS YEEZY DAY
The news of the week came from the ying-yang duo of sneakers, adidas and Nike, with both brands having a big day: the Three Stripes had Yeezy Day, while Nike had the SNKRS event to celebrate its anniversary. SNKRS Day, historically, has been a chance for sneakerheads to log in to the app and have another chance to win many, many pairs that they missed out on from that year. 2020 saw the Ben & Jerry’s Dunk, multiple OFF-WHITE collabs, and much, much more get raffled off at random times. This year, however, we didn’t get the same treatment from the Swoosh – in fact, all that was released was a leopard print Huarache and a matching Air Jordan 1 Low – leading many to call this year a disaster. Don’t get me wrong, Rhys and Dani were amazing on the livestream, as was everyone else involved, but in terms of releases it was a disappointment.
Yeezy Day was quite the opposite. Nearly 30 iterations of Yeezy sneakers were re-issued through the adidas Yeezy site for fans to pick up, with stock extensive enough to ensure everyone could get involved and have a fair chance at a pair (or more). Not only did we see regular re-releases of conventional colorways but we also witnessed the restock of many rare “Reflective” iterations which garner a price tag over and above that of normal pairs. Not stopping there, the adidas Yeezy team released two new pairs by way of a Foam Runner “MX Cream Clay” and a 700V3 “Dark Glow”, without a doubt beating off the competition.
ALEALI MAY’S JUMPMAN COMEBACK
The world finally got a hold of official images for Aleali May’s re-entry into the collaborator sphere, this time with an Air Jordan 14 Low (weird choice, we know) dubbed “Fortune” and inspired by Aleali’s family history. We see beige suede throughout, broken up by highlights of jade and gold on the tooling, in a wholly strong addition to the stylist’s collaborative portfolio as well as one of the only real stabs at an Air Jordan 14 aside from Edison Chen’s CLOT (Supreme’s was so bad we can forget about it).
VIRGIL TAKES ON THE BLAZER
As well as his upcoming Dunk collaboration, Virgil’s Off-White Blazer Low is set to release this summer and feature a divisive revision to what is otherwise a heritage sneaker. We see holes galore across the upper, as well as a hallmark double lacing system and deconstructed feel. The most obvious mutation to the Blazer, however, comes by way of a heel which extends out to a point and features plastic prosthetic elements. At the end of the day, it’s a black Blazer, so it will never look bad (from the front, at least).
KITH’S HAWAII-THEMED AIR FORCE 1
Ronnie Fieg took to Instagram to unveil another commemorative Air Force 1 collaboration between KITH and the Swoosh, this time celebrating the opening of the new flagship location in Hawaii. Once again, the pair features characteristic KITH embossing on the quarter panel, with a splash of color through the teal blue on the interior lining and mini Swoosh inspired by the island state’s lush waters.
THIS WEEK’S RELEASES: 09/08/2021 – 15/08/2021
This week’s release calendar is dominated by the Swoosh. We see a Nike SB Dunk Low releasing in a Barcelona-esque color scheme dubbed “Catalonia” arriving in a mismatched color scheme, as well as a “British Tan” iteration of the sacai x Nike Blazer Low. The highlight of the week, just as it was last week, is Travis Scott’s collaborative partnership with Jordan Brand, this time releasing a “Low” edition of the Air Jordan 1 in partnership with Hiroshi and fragment design. The pair is allegedly far more abundant than the High iteration, meaning that hopefully we can all get a pair if we’re lucky on Friday the 13th.
Other notable mentions arrive from Vans and adidas. The former, who I’ve managed to leave off every previous roundup story, are set to release a collab with JJJJound in characteristic tonal colors akin to those spotted on the mood board-turned-streetwear powerhouse’s collaboration with New Balance. The Vans x JJJJound collaborative Sk8-Mid releases from August 10 to August 14, depending on colorway. Adidas’ offering arrives by way of a collaboration with Bad Bunny, with the Puerto-Rican musician’s Forum Low being released on Saturday the 14th in a blackout colorway fit for any rotation.
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See also: MONTHLY SNEAKER REVIEW: JULY 2021
