Nike just dropped the details for their latest sneaker release, and honestly, we couldn’t be happier with this release. ISPA sneakers–aka Improvise. Scavenge. Protect. Adapt.– combine standard features with a number of unique attributes that…
Say what you want about the Nike Air Max 97, but you can’t deny that they’re a staple pair of sneakers and are rightly described as classic.
This Bright Citron colorway you see above is subtle but not afraid to show off its clean curves and deliciously stylish cushioning. The pervasive mustard hues are a bold choice, but they’re for folks willing to take a risk in their footwear game. These are also nothing short of iconic, with a design inspired by a bullet train’s fast design. Truly, what better inspiration could there be for a pair of runners?
We know what you’re thinking. These are just a pair of shoes. Enough waxing poetic. We’ll stop here, sure. But it’s criminal to deny that the kicks are a beaut.
Anyway, as with any model in this category, you get bold, prominent “Air Max” branding, plus the comfort of knowing they’ll work well with virtually any streetwear getup you can come up with. They’re casual enough to avoid looking too lurid, but with enough boldness to help you stand out while running about town. As always, Nike has landed on the perfect middle ground; it’s like the company makes show-offy footwear for coy people.
Bonus: those curves slightly light up in the dark, making this already excellent pair just a tad bit cooler than other Air Max models in your rotation. They’re a bit pricey at $170, although that’s typical of Air Max models. You shouldn’t miss this, though, that’s for sure.
Nike’s latest collaboration with legendary artist Tom Sachs (some of you need no introduction to his work) is finally here. It’s a space-themed pair of kicks following up 2012’s NikeCraft Mars Yard and last July’s Mars Yard 2.0 release. This new iteration sees Sachs reach a bit further into space than last time. The piece is highly evocative of boots you’d wear on during an extraterrestrial trip. Which is why the pair is aptly named the Mars Yard Over Shoe.
But you might be surprised that Sachs took inspiration from here, our very own Earth.
“The Mars Yard Overshoe, its nickname is the March Yard — for March, the worst month of the year. It is wet, your feet are wet the whole month of March,” he says. To keep your feet from getting soiled by street puddles, the Mars Yard Over shoes feature extending water resistant fabric that stretch all the way up near your lower shins. It serves two things, according to Nike. One is to fend off the elements, the other — when you roll it down inward — to make inside, heated spaces tolerable.
“The duality serves well for the annoyances of a New York March, and allows chic navigation of street, subway and fashion week. A new tread pattern, created by a small sipping at the highpoints of the outsole, is designed from a mastery of New York’s winters too,” the Swoosh brand says.
You might have a chance of picking these kicks up on Oct. 11 via a raffle. A global release date will be announced in the coming months.
Photos courtesy of Nike
Nike has officially released the Air Jordan 5 Wings, featuring a style that’s as heartwarming as it is visually impressive. Topped with a white leather upper, the pair of kicks is smothered by designs and illustrations made by students at Little Black Pearl, a nonprofit cultural arts center serving Chicago’s youth.
Other notable elements include bright green accents that serve up a nice contrast to the children’s incredibly artistic drawings. That and a metallic silver tongue that breaks off the nearly all-white colorway quite nicely. Finally, a Wings logo sits on the inner tongue.
You’ll also find a translucent ice blue outsole, and three different options for shoelaces. There’s also the signature Air Jordan Jumpman branding on the heel, plus classic Air Jordan 5 netting in the side panels, which in this case are shaped like wings.
The artwork will vary on each pair. That means meaning although these kicks are going to be sporting a similar design, each will be unique. Nike is also releasing them in GS sizes, perfect for gradeschoolers who want to up their shoe game.
This year’s Air Jordan 5 are a little different from the previous iterations. The kicks come in dark colorways that wear over time to reveal a golden sheen. However, we’d argue Nike did the right thing by giving the kids at Little Black Pearl a medium where they can exercise their burgeoning artistry. Plus, the pair itself acts as a platform for these kids to have more visibility, alerting sneakerheads that great art can come from anywhere, even from children in underserved communities.
Photos courtesy of Nike
Nike has finally shown off a new colorway for its latest Air Force 1 Utility model. The variant now features a slightly revamped silhouette thanks to the addition of a new buckle strap. The pair seems to draw from military gear. They also coincide with the rising popularity of chest rigs and shoulder bags in the fashion scene.
Besides the buckle strap, the Air Force 1 Utility also gain updated mesh materials on the tongue and heel pull tab. Of note are the forefoot strap and glow-in-the-dark midsole, the latter of which singlehandedly makes the shoes a few punches above other iterations in the iconic Air Force line.
This Air Force 1 Utility also boasts a tumbled leather upper, which sits in nice contrast with the black ballistic nylon strap that holds the magnetic buckle closure. You’ll also love the large heel pulls, there to round out the entire look and add a slight more flair.
To be clear, this is a pretty simple, restrained, and no-nonsense design. However, those have always been the staple characteristics of the Air Force 1 style. As such, we’d argue this understated style is more challenging to pull off since there are so few elements to make it a potentially interesting pair. Even still, Nike has managed to make do with what it’s thrown in, and as a result, we get a clean and sharp-looking pair with enough contrasting elements to turn it into an eye-catcher.
These kicks are available beginning Oct. 5 for $145. You can get it from the Nike SNKRS online store or from select retailers. You can check out more images of these kicks below.
Back in September, Nike unveiled fresh new colorways for the React Element 87. Now, the Swoosh brand is back with yet another iteration called Blue Chill/Solar Red. It fuses blue and red with grey and black for an all-around rugged but still quite dapper look.
This particular React Element 87 colorway boasts a “Cool Grey” upper that’s stunningly translucent. There’s also an opaque “Blue Chill” panel at the heel for some needed contrast. Finally, a black sole unit that keeps things fresh and classy.
There are hints of Solar Red here — as “bullets” peppered all over the outsole. They also appear as little splashes on the lace panel and heel pull tab. You’re also getting the infamous cork insole (love it or hate it), suede and leather eyelet paneling, and 3M reflective lace accents.
All those elements make for an incredibly sporty look, which makes sense considering the React Element 87 was designed from the ground up with athletes in mind. Even still, it’s not a particularly restrictive design at all — you can still, in theory, wear them on a regular day and still look your best. That’s the striking thing about Nike shoes, ain’t it? Swoosh offers so many models geared for so many niche users, but most of them would absolutely look fine even when used outside their purpose.
That aside, you’ll be rocking these new kicks on Oct. 11 for just $160. You can get them from Nike’s official online store or from select retailers.
Photos courtesy of Nike
At his return to the Emerald City during the Golden State Warriors’ preseason game against the Sacramento Kings, Kevin Durant just happened to be wearing a new pair of kicks we have never seen before.
Well, they’re not exactly new. They’re still from Durant and Nike’s Zoom KD11 lineup, but now in two new funky colorways. They’re officially called “Seattle Blends” PE. That’s probably due to the fact that Seattle holds a special place in Kevin Durant’s heart. The pair comes in either green or yellow. The green one features accents of yellow, and the yellow once boasts splashes of green. Both colorways nicely dovetail in terms of color scheme.
Both models are boasting a flyknit upper, a woven sock-like collar, and a dirty white sole with specks of black all over — a nice little touch that really gives some spice and flair to both colorways.
A bit of NBA history: Durant was originally drafted by the Seattle Supersonics as the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. A year later, the team moved to the Midwest and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant went on to have a phenomenal career, collecting MVPs and rings along the way. Which makes his return to Emerald City for a pre-season game quite the big event.
Nike has yet to announce details like pricing and release for both these kicks, but a standard Nike Zoom KD11 costs $150. Expect them to be priced about the same. Check out the other colorway below.
Photos courtesy of Nike
After much anticipation, Nike has finally pulled the wraps off its latest sure-to-be-sold-out-quickly pair of kicks, the Air Max 720. Sneakerheads will salivate over its bigger-than-ever airbag, which wraps entirely around the length of the sole. You’ll also love that new heel unit, which Nike says is the latest in Air history.
The Air Max 720 is the tallest model to date, measuring in at 38mm. What that means is that this model offers the most spring of any silhouette in the Air Max family due to the biggest heel volume displacement.
Let’s talk about that color. Utterly beautiful. Nike has had more experimental Air Max models before, surely. However, none of them was as majestic-looking as this one right here. It’s easy to see why these kicks look so cosmic: Apparently, Nike drew inspiration from the Northern Lights for the model you see above, and another model based on the Milky Way shares this galactic motif. Nike didn’t forget to come back down to Earth, however: There’s a model inspired by lava flows, and others by sunrises and sunsets. We simply can’t wait to see those.
It’s worth noting that these kicks are comprised of 75% recycled manufacturing waste. This was done as part of Nike’s aim of delivering a more sustainable future for athletes in mind, and the belief that there should be no trade-off between lightening our environmental footprint and improving performance.
There’s no word yet on pricing and release date, but expect details to surface in the coming months.
Virgil Abloh is one of Nike’s best collaborators, having given us an entire collection inspired by tennis champ Serena Williams. Now, he’s working with Nike yet again to bring us a new iteration the Swoosh brand’s legendary Air Max 97 model — Menta.
Just look at that double grey overlay on the main body of the shoe. Plus that multi-colored Swoosh logo that flirts with a slight ombre effect — utterly beautiful, yet smartly understated. The Swoosh is paired with Off-White branding (Abloh’s fashion company) and motifs as well. Coupled with the designer’s signature Helvetica typeface used along the medial sides, shoelaces, and angular laces tab, the shoe looks pretty minimalist overall, which is mainly because of it being a classic grey Air Max unit, topped off with a clear outsole.
The “Menta” colorway was unveiled a while back alongside a black one, both of them highly reminiscent of Abloh’s “The Ten” collection, a similarly eye-catching lineup. Nike officially put it up for sale this past October. We can’t wait for what the Swoosh brand and Abloh have in store for all of us sneakerheads out here.
Neither Abloh nor Nike has said anything about these kicks, however, so we can only speculate as to when they’ll be released. Various publications tout Nov. 10 as the official release date, but you should take that with a grain of salt, of course. Pricing is also unclear at this point, although they’ll most likely hover around $190 to $200. Check out the sneakers in detail below.
Photos courtesy of Nike
With the World Cup done and dusted, Nike have stepped up to take the soccer world’s limelight once again. The sport giants have brought out a brand-new pair of cleats that have been engineered with precision technology for better ball control – something every guy needs.
These cleats, named the Phantom Vision, or VSN for short, are showcasing Nike’s latest tech advancement known as the quadfit. Quadfit looks like a mesh sock that is attached to the inside of the cleat but importantly does not constrict your foot. It also does not become overstretched or loose. Quadfit is great for avoiding that initial break-in period of sore heels. It also gives players better control in the most common areas of ball contact.
Yet, one of the coolest features of these cleats is their ghost laces. No more asking the ref to hold play with these bad boys. The laces are hidden out of sight and with one pull their tension can be increased at every lace hole. They can be yours for around $270 and are available in black for now but will be available in a rainbow of colors in the near future, we are confident about that.
