Kanye West's adidas YEEZY QNTM "Teal Blue" Fronts This Week's Best Footwear Drops
Alongside his compatriot Kid Cudi’s first adidas collaboration, HYPEBAE’s Reebok DMX Thrill and Paris Saint-Germain’s Jordan Brand collection.
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Fall ‘fits and footwear are in full effect across the globe, and this week sees a diverse spread of fresh styles from the world’s biggest sneaker brands. Over the next seven days we’ll see new drops from Kanye West and adidas, silhouettes both classic and conceptual from Nike and much more. However, before we get into this week’s twelve best footwear drops let’s get up to speed on everything that went down over the past seven days.
“Functional” shoes like the Merrell Hydro Moc are often derided as “ugly” but here at HYPEBEAST, we believe they transcend fashion — so we rounded up six of the best options for the fall/winter season, all priced under $150 USD. Sole Mates is rolling right along, and our second guest was mental health professional and former Nike collaboration Liz Beecroft, who waxed poetic about her love for Allen Iverson and the Reebok Question.
We also received brief exclusive interviews with Union’s Chris Gibbs about his new Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star Hi and spoke to Donatella Versace herself about Versace’s new Trigreca sneaker. Donatella also spoke up in support of Versace head men’s footwear designer Salehe Bembury, who was profiled by police while leaving the Versace store in Beverly Hills.
It wouldn’t really be 2020 without a big old scoop of Nike Dunk news, and this week was no different than weeks past on that front. Cactus Plant Flea Market’s inaugural Dunk collaboration was revealed, a bejeweled style that looks nothing at all like the mockups seen earlier in the year. AMBUSH’s Yoon rocked a white and black pair of her upcoming Dunk collaboration as well, and Nike SB brought some new heat for the holidays by way of collaborations with Sean Cliver (ornament-inspired) and Frame Skate (the Habibi, a celebration of the UAE’s flag).
Recognizable names made waves for different reasons. Pyer Moss’s Kerby Jean-Raymond was named Reebok’s Vice President of Creative Direction, Kiko Kostadinov announced an even more extensive partnership with ASICS Sportstyle and Futura’s famed FLOM Dunks — yes, there’s more Dunk news — set the Dunk’s auction record, selling for a whopping $63 thousand USD. This week in clog news, Justin Bieber caused Crocs stock to jump by teasing a collaboration, and adidas reworked its Superstar into a quizzical Adilette clog.
Rounding things off were a NBA x Louis Vuitton sneaker that looked like a high-end pair of Lugz, adidas’s Ultra4D in “Triple Black,” Pendleton and Nike returning to their partnership with Nike By You iterations of the Air Max 97 and Air Force 1, and Under Armour making some unexpected noise with a new Fat Tire silhouette.
Now that you’re all caught up, let’s get into a dozen of this week’s best drops. Please note that releases may be delayed due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, and head over to HBX to check out other new footwear styles.
ASICS GEL-Lyte III OG
Asphalt Gold
Asphalt Gold
Release Date: October 6
Release Price: $120 USD
Where to Buy: ASICS and Asphalt Gold
Why You Should Cop: There’s an appealing assemblage of OG sneakers coming back this week, and this classic white, orange and purple makeup of ASICS’ GEL-Lyte III is one of ‘em. With a signature split tongue and Phoenix Suns-esque color scheme, it offers peak early ’90s style that somehow still manages to look modern in 2020.
Nike Air Raid “Black/Grey”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: October 8
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Intrigued by the prospect of OG sneakers, but prefer basketball style to the above-mentioned retro runner? Nike’s Air Raid in “Black/Grey” is the shoe for you this week. Designed by Tinker Hatfield, first released in 1992 and made specifically for outdoor basketball, the Air Raid is a bulky bastion of Nike hoops footwear complete with signature criss-crossing straps that form an X above its upper.
HYPEBAE x Reebok DMX Thrill
Reebok
Reebok
Reebok
Release Date: October 8
Release Price: $100 USD
Where to Buy: HBX
Why You Should Cop: It’s all in the family on HYPEBAE’s Reebok DMX Thrill. HYPEBEAST’s sister site’s first footwear collaboration, the DMX Thrill is an updated take on a do-anything runner that originally released in 2000, complete with a striking soft pink, green and orange color palette. It’s designed for the ladies, but its androgynous hues — and accommodating size run — ensure its versatility.
A-COLD-WALL* x Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Lugged “Black”
Converse
Converse
Converse
Release Date: October 8
Release Price: $160 USD
Where to Buy: Converse
Why You Should Cop: A-COLD-WALL* and Converse’s inaugural Chuck Taylor Lugged was a smash hit due to its durable, technical nature — and now it’s back in black. ACW head Samuel Ross’s eye for translating industrial design into the footwear sphere is on full display thanks to a blend of blocky rubber overlays and a TPE base layer, combining to create the perfect high-fashion hybrid hiker for the fall.
Nike ISPA Drifter Gator “Hyper Crimson” and “Coastal Blue”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: October 8
Release Price: $220 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: A popular silhouette for the modern, on-the-go commuter, the Nike ISPA Drifter is back in a new Gator makeup. Unfortunately, the original Drifter’s Tabi toe is nowhere to be found, but it’s more than made up for with a waterproof gator stuffed into the zipper compartment that wraps around the shroud. ISPA stands for “improvise, scavenge, protect, adapt” and this silhouette encapsulates that ethos perfectly.
Mountain Research x Reebok DMX Trail Shadow “Pure Grey”
Reebok
Reebok
Reebok
Release Date: October 8
Release Price: $180 USD
Where to Buy: Mountain Research
Why You Should Cop: Mountain Research and Reebok’s newest take on the DMX Trail Shadow, this “Pure Grey” colorway is inspired by ’80s college prep style on the East Coast. Apart from this collegiate color scheme, it also boasts cored-out, crampon-inspired overlays and a rugged, hike-ready lower half. It’s set to release exclusively at Mountain Research this week, and will then hit the Reebok webstore a week later.
Kid Cudi x adidas Torsion Artillery
43einhalb
43einhalb
43einhalb
43einhalb
43einhalb
43einhalb
Release Date: October 9
Release Price: €160 (approximately $187 USD)
Where to Buy: 43einhalb
Why You Should Cop: Kid Cudi and adidas officially announced their partnership all the way back in 2019, and now they’re finally kicking it off in earnest with this duo of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure-inspired takes on the old school Torsion Artillery. Cudder’s role in the new Bill and Ted Face the Music inspired this high-cut, high-color two pack of kicks, one of which pays homage to the duo’s Wild Stallions band, the other which takes on an EQT-esque mix of white, green and black.
Paris Saint-Germain x Air Jordan 4, Air Zoom Renegade and Zoom 92
Nike
Nike
Nike
Nike
Nike
Nike
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: October 10
Release Price: $140-$225 USD
Where to Buy: Nike and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: The latest collaborative effort between famed French football club and the Jordan Brand, Fall’s 2020 PSG x Jordan capsule sees the timeless Air Jordan 4 plus two new silhouettes — the Air Zoom Renegade and Zoom 92 — take on an autumnal color palette centered around rich bordeaux tones. Each pair in the three-pack is rife with special nods to PSG and Paris alike, while all interpolate football and hoops in a unique fashion.
adidas YEEZY QNTM “Teal Blue”
Adidas
Adidas
Adidas
Adidas
Adidas
Release Date: October 10
Release Price: $250 USD (Mens)/$180 USD (Kids)/$160 USD (Infants)
Where to Buy: adidas and YEEZY Supply
Why You Should Cop: Kanye West and adidas are pulling back the veil of secrecy surrounding the YEEZY QNTM just a touch with this new “Teal Blue” makeup. Originally dubbed the “Ophanium,” the shoe mixes familiar gray and black tones with a sprinkle of oceanic teal for a hybrid sport/fashion look that’s set to be available in full family sizes.
Nike SB Zoom Blazer Mid Pro GT “ACG”
Nike Gb
Nike Gb
Nike Gb
Release Date: October 10
Release Price: £90 GPB (approximately $116 USD)
Where to Buy: Nike GB
Why You Should Cop: A skate shoe that looks to the great outdoors, Grant Taylor’s Nike SB Zoom Blazer Mid Pro GT “ACG” pulls both color scheme and branding from Nike’s famous go-anywhere label. Borrowing its brown-based look from the seminal Air Mowabb and presenting a cleverly-altered logo on the tongue, Taylor’s latest Blazer exists in an appealing gray area between two vastly different pursuits: hiking and skateboarding.
atmos x Reebok Instapump Fury “Citron Animal”
Atmos
Atmos
Atmos
Release Date: October 10
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: atmos
Why You Should Cop: atmos and animal print go together like peanut butter and jelly. The latest silhouette to get a wild treatment at the hands of the Japanese sneaker mavens? Reebok’s Instapump Fury. Blending its most recognizable colorway — the OG “Citron” — with atmos’s animalistic embellishments and semi-translucent air bladders, these powerful Pumps present an intentionally untamed look.
Air Jordan 3 “Blue Cement”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: October 10
Release Price: $190 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: After releasing across Europe earlier this summer, the Air Jordan 3 “Blue Cement” is set for a stateside arrival. Juxtaposing a classic cement print with bold blue leather, the “Blue Cement” sets down a fresh-yet-familiar look for Jumpman enthusiasts.
