Star Wars vs. Mickey Mouse, G-Dragon vs Kanye, and More in This Week's Best Footwear Drops
Alongside Soulland’s Nike SB Blazer, FACETASM’s AJ1, and the unprecedented adidas x Reebok Instapump Fury BOOST.
The communal atmosphere of Thanksgiving, the madness of Black Friday, and the joy of the holiday season are all right around the corner, but no footwear brand is resting on its lapels — all are continuing to churn out appealing releases at a slightly alarming rate. There’s a veritable plethora of drops going down this week, but you gotta know where you’re at to get where you’re going, so let’s take a look back at the last week in footwear news.
As is par for the course in 2019, the seemingly unstoppable Travis Scott got a lion’s share of the attention once again, with his Nike Air Force 1 Low “Cactus Jack” dominating the headlines and delighting his legions of loyal fans. Scott’s fellow omnipresent heavy hitter Virgil Abloh kept his usual place in the spotlight with three Off-White™ x Nike Zoom Vapor Streets as part of his “Athlete in Progress” capsule. First news of a four-figure Dior x Air Jordan 1 collaboration surfaced as well.
It’s not just collaborators making noise over at Nike either: they opened a new S23NYC studio in New York City that’ll be the home base for cultivating the next generation of the SNKRS app, and officially revealed the holiday return of the beloved Air Jordan 11 “Bred.”
Moving on from Nike, adidas announced that its groundbreaking FUTURECRAFT.LOOP program — an effort to create fully recyclable, renewable footwear — would enter its second stage with a new “Phase 2” silhouette. Basketball-centric footwear made some noise as well: Damian Lillard’s new Dame 6 was officially unveiled, and the Toronto Raptors got a final salute to their 2018 NBA Championship by way of a SPEEDFACTORY AM4 that was limited to a scant 613 pairs.
New Balance and Mizuno both satiated the appetites of their respective fanbases too. NB continued the gradual rollout of Kawhi Leonard’s OMN1S with a “Bated” colorway inspired by his love of fishing, and Mizuno linked with FUTUR for bold iterations of its Wave Prophecy.
Finally, if you’re not going to be able to wear sneakers to your family or job’s holiday festivities, we compiled a list of 15 great dress shoes for the holiday season.
Long story short, it was a week full of drops, details and dashing designs with something for all types of footwear aficionados. There’s plenty more to come over the next seven days, so take a look at some of the best impending drops, and let us know which is your favorite.
Kith x Disney x Converse Chuck 70 Hi “Mickey Mouse” Pack
Kith
Release Date: November 18
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: Kith locations and Kith.com
Why You Should Cop: Two icons — the Chuck Taylor and Mickey Mouse — and three choices; job well done, Ronnie.
Nike Joyride Dual Run
Nike
Release Date: November 18
Release Price: $130 USD
Where to Buy: Select Nike stockists and Nike.com
Why You Should Cop: The tech is a bit gimmicky, but at $130 USD, it’s a solid casual runner for the price.
DOE x adidas UltraBOOST 19 “Micropacer”
Doe
Release Date: November 21
Release Price: $220 USD
Where to Buy: Select adidas stockists and adidas.com
Why You Should Cop: A whimsical twist to the UltraBOOST 19, the Micropacer-inspired laceless build somehow works on this runner.
Star Wars x adidas “Running x Space Battle” Pack
Adidas
Release Date: November 21
Release Price: $180-300 USD
Where to Buy: Select adidas stockists and adidas.com
Why You Should Cop: Stars Wars fandom is maxing out right now, with Madalorian playing on Disney+, and the ninth and final episode in the “Skywalker saga” just a month away. What better way for a sneakerhead to get in on the craze with some battleship inspired kicks?
Soulland x Nike SB Blazer “FRI.day 03”
Soulland
Release Date: November 22
Release Price: TBD
Where to Buy: Select Nike stockists, Nike.com and Soulland Copenhagen
Why You Should Cop: It’s hard to pull off anything novel with snakeskin-adorned sneakers, but Soulland’s Blazer, with its juxtaposing Swooshes, is a welcomed addition to the fold.
size? x adidas Originals Marathon TR “Greenland”
Size
Release Date: November 22
Release Price: €85 EUR (approximately $94 USD)
Where to Buy: Select size? locations and size.co.uk
Why You Should Cop: Completing the pair’s “Alternate Pack,” this retro runner pays tribute to Greenland and its Polar Circle Marathon, the coldest marathon on Earth. Show your support for the brave marathoners who’ve competed in this frigid race.
FACETASM x Air Jordan 1 Mid “Fearless”
Nike
Release Date: November 22
Release Price: $130 USD
Where to Buy: Select Nike stockists and Nike.com
Why You Should Cop: Everything is quintessential FACETASM here, from the celestial teal colorway to the crinkled leather. Fans of the Japanese brand will surely want to add these to their collection, let’s just hope this is just the beginning between the two.
adidas x Reebok Instapump Fury BOOST “OG Meets OG” Pack
Reebok
Reebok
Release Date: November 22
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: Select Reebok stockists and Reebok.com
Why You Should Cop: In unprecedented fashion, adidas and Reebok finally deliver a collaborative sneaker, and it only took 15 years!
ASICS GEL-1090
Asphalt Gold
Release Date: November 22
Release Price: €100 EUR (approximately $110 USD)
Where to Buy: Select ASICS stockists, including Asphalt Gold
Why You Should Cop: The 2004 cult-classic GEL-1090 is back. It was a cost-effective runner in its day, and now it serves as an affordable retro dad-shoe.
PEACEMINUSONE x Nike Air Force 1 “Para-Noise”
Nike
Release Date: November 23
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: Select Nike stockists and Nike.com
Why You Should Cop: K-pop star G-Dragon’s first collaborative endeavor with Nike is more than enough reason to seek this release. Hopefully there will be many more.
Air Jordan 4 “What The”
Release Date: November 23
Release Price: $220 USD
Where to Buy: Select Nike stockists and Nike.com
Why You Should Cop: Nike celebrates the AJ4’s 30th anniversary in typical style with a sneaker that features details from some of our favorite past colorways. If you’re into this hallmark Nike tribute, this cop is a no brainer.
adidas YEEZY 500 “Stone”
Adidas
Release Date: November 23
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: Select adidas stockists, adidas.com/YEEZY and YEEZY Supply
Why You Should Cop: The first 500 to discard its mesh underlays for a thicker neoprene material, this pair will serve as a more winter appropriate alternative to other 500s.
Universal Works x adidas “Run City” Collection
Adidas
Release Date: November 23
Release Price: TBD
Where to Buy: Select adidas stockists and adidas.com
Why You Should Cop: Wanting to create a runner that’ll also look good when you stop at the coffee shop afterwards, Universal Works delivers a pair of UltraBOOSTS that feature rich hues atop cozy wool and suede uppers.
