The holiday season is around the corner, and the world’s biggest footwear brands are gearing up for an all-out sprint to the end of a turbulent year. This week sees a cornucopia of collaborations and a swath of striking in-line styles alike — but before we get into the best offerings hitting shelves over the next seven days let’s take a primer on last week first.
For the latest installment of Sole Mates, HYPEBEAST chatted with bespoke maven Vandy the Pink about his love for the Reebok Beatnik. The Korea-born, Virginia-based creator talked discovering the shoe in Japan, why it’s so fun to customize and much more. Per usual, there was plenty of news on the Nike Dunk front. Travis Scott opened an extremely limited raffle for his PlayStation Dunk collaboration, we saw two new Dunk Low colorways that are set to release in 2021 and Nike SB paid homage to the Swoosh’s manufacturing partners with a SB Dunk Low “Vietnam.”
Jordan Brand had a busy week as well, debuting the Air Jordan 11 Adapt — its first ever power lacing sneaker — alongside the Air Jordan 11 “Jubilee,” a celebration of the seminal sneaker’s 25th anniversary. The Jumpman also rolled out its eleven-shoe Spring 2021 Retro collection, consisting of new styles and beloved bringbacks alike. Finally, we were also given a closer look at the Air Jordan 1 “Black/Metallic Gold,” a high-cut iteration of a popular Air Jordan 1 Mid style from the ’00s.
Moving on to more modern basketball shoes, Kobe Bryant’s legions of faithful fans were delighted by official release dates for the Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Bruce Lee” and “Bruce Lee Alternate.” Fellow Laker Kyle Kuzma entered the signature market as well, working with Rhude founder Rhuigi Villaseñor on the PUMA Clyde All-Pro Kuzma Mid, a sneaker that’s half hoops and half high fashion.
On the subject of high fashion, exciting — but largely unsubstantiated — rumors of a Dior x Nike Air Max 95 surfaced, following up rumblings of a Kim Jones x Nike Air Max 95 from earlier in the year. Jones and Dior weren’t the only folks in the Swoosh’s collaborative crosshairs, as a sample of what appeared to be a Tom Sachs x Nike Mars Yard 2.5 popped up over the weekend. Finally, Nike revealed its latest N7 collection and the partnership between Pharrell and adidas Originals gave us a chocolatey brown NMD Hu.
Now that you’re all caught up, let’s dive into a dozen of this week’s best drops. Please note that any shoes listed below may be pushed back due to the continued effects of the coronavirus, and head over to HBX to check out other new footwear styles.
Cactus Plant Flea Market x Nike Dunk Low
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Release Date: November 18
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Cactus Plant Flea Market
Why You Should Cop: Cactus Plant Flea Market and Nike’s new Dunk Low certainly isn’t for the faint of heart — it was clearly made with the fancy, flashy, flamboyant individual in mind. Vastly dissimilar from CPFM’s perfectly imperfect past Swoosh collaborations, this tonal Dunk is coated in Swarovski crystals from toe to heel. It also features special details like loose-hanging collar flaps and thick tongues, giving it a dash of Nike SB flair even though it is indeed a Sportswear dunk.
Pharrell x adidas NMD Hu “Human Race”
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Release Date: November 19
Release Price: $220 USD
Where to Buy: adidas and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: Following up colorful pink and yellow makeups of the NMD Hu “Human Race,” Pharrell and adidas Originals are keeping things a touch more toned down on their new “Core Black” style. Dressed in murky black tones, the shoe features tonally-embroidered Chinese characters that translate to — you guessed it — “Human Race,” while white laces add a finishing touch of contrast.
Nike Dunk Low “Ceramic”
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Release Date: November 19
Release Price: $100 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: A personal favorite of HYPEBEAST social media coordinator Nick Llanton, the Nike Dunk Low “Ceramic” is the third and final piece of the Swoosh’s revitalized “Ugly Duckling” pack — a seminal set of sneakers that first debuted in 2001. Unlike its “Plum” and “Veneer” predecessors, the “Ceramic” mix of orange, black and green actually works together somewhat seamlessly, making for a standout fall style.
Brain Dead x Converse Chuck 70 Hi and Bosey
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Release Date: November 19
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: HBX
Why You Should Cop: Brain Dead and Converse are no stranger to wild, wacky, out-of-this-world collaborations, and their latest effort has produced both a double-stacked Chuck 70 and a rugged Bosey. The former is rife with bovine detailing and sports a double-stacked midsole with split piping, while the latter seemingly draws from Brain Dead founder Kyle Ng’s love of rock climing with its beefy, rubberized details while also boasting cow print under its translucent upper.
Nike Air Max 1 “Magma Orange”
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Release Date: November 19
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: The Nike Air Max 1 “Magma Orange” made its debut at European retailers in July as part of an “Anniversary Pack,” and now it’s back for a US go-around. Featuring a liquid hot magma (Dr. Evil voice) orange mudguard atop a crisp gray and white base, the “Magma Orange” provides a potent punch of timeless Nike Sportswear style.
FDMTL x New Balance 2002R
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Release Date: November 20
Release Price: ¥1,199 RMB (approximately $181 USD)
Where to Buy: COSTS and FDMTL
Why You Should Cop: A celebration of the craftsmanship that goes into making traditional Japanese denim, the FDMTL x New Balance 2002R provides an exercise in luxurious tonal detailing. Boasting intricate sashiko patterns atop its rich navy tones, this revitalized running shoe distills the ethos of fine denim into footwear form, and does so without missing a single stitch.
Reebok Kamikaze II “Mars Red”
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Release Date: November 20
Release Price: $120 USD
Where to Buy: Reebok
Why You Should Cop: Inspired by the Seattle SuperSonics’ alternate red and green jerseys, the Reebok Kamikaze II “Mars Red” harkens to the glory days of Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and the rest of the long-gone Seattle franchise. It’s also loaded with special details like a tongue badge that nods to Kemp’s “Reign Man” nickname and bold characters embroidered on the heel tab. Kemp never took to the court in these — they’re not an OG colorway — but it certainly isn’t hard to picture.
Casablanca x New Balance 327
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Release Date: November 20
Release Price: $150 USD
Where to Buy: New Balance
Why You Should Cop: Casablanca got exclusive first dibs on releasing its latest New Balance 327 collaboration back in September, but now the rest of the world gets a crack at the two stripped-back kicks thanks to their global release. With trim uppers, minimal-but-potent detailing and a signature nubbed sole, both pairs are sure to be gobbled up just as quickly as they were the first time around.
Concepts x Nike SB Dunk High “TurDUNKen”
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Release Date: November 21
Release Price: $120 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: If you missed out on the full meal that was last week’s Concepts x Nike SB Dunk High “TurDUNKen” collector’s edition release — or you’re just looking to go back for seconds — this week’s global release is still plenty good. Even without all the tasty special packaging, the regular “TurDUNKen” release is still bursting with flavor, loaded with delicious detailing and $130 USD cheaper too, thanks to the lack of accoutrements.
Air Jordan 3 “Court Purple”
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Release Date: November 21
Release Price: $190 USD
Where to Buy: Nike and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: A brand-new Air Jordan 3 style, the “Court Purple” combines an Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” base with Phoenix Suns-esque orange and purple accents. However, in an interesting twist, they’re only set to release in Europe and Asia — so if you’re in the Americas you’re out of luck.
Commonwealth x adidas Response CL
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Release Date: November 21
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Commonwealth
Why You Should Cop: Ever heard the old aphorism “business in the front, party in the back?” Commonwealth’s new adidas Response CL is the shoe version of that: it’s serious on the outside and festive on the inside. Boasting a split design that combines a crisp lateral half with a colorful, retro-tinged medial half, the two-part shoe is a more than worthy addition to the Response CL’s growing lineup.
Nike Air Raid “Urban Jungle Gym”
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Release Date: November 21
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: Nike and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: First released in 1993, last seen in 2014 and now back for a third go-around in 2020, the Nike Air Raid “Urban Jungle Gym” is a colorful nod to the unifying nature of street hoops. Apart from its honest messaging, it’s packed full of vivid ’90s style as well thanks to its rich assemblage of patterns, prints and colors.
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