Sean Wotherspoon's Corduroy-Covered ASICS Kicks Lead This Week's Best Footwear Drops
Alongside a plethora of Air Jordans, Nike’s Dunk Low SP “Champ Colors” and a reported YEEZY QUANTUM “Barium” drop.
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Footwear companies around the globe are turning up the heat in the latter half of June, with everything from three-way collaborations to new sneakers from legendary rappers and timeless athletic styles set to drop over the course of this week. Narrowing all of these options to a mere dozen was no simple undertaking, but with all the heat set to hit shelves it was certainly a worthwhile one. Before we get to it in earnest, let’s take a quick primer on what went down last week.
Two Virgils were front and center, one intentionally and one accidentally. The intentional was skateboarder Erik Arteaga (AKA burberry.erry/Bam Margiela), who hit the skatepark to film one of his signature Instagram videos in the unreleased Off-White™ x Air Jordan 4 “Sail.” The accidental arrived by way of Houston Dynamo defender Zarek Valentin, who was sent a black-soled sample pair of the Off-White™ x Nike Air Force 1 “MCA” in a seeding shipment.
Virgil Abloh wasn’t the only big name in streetwear who made noise on the collaborative front: Hiroshi Fujiwara teased a forthcoming fragment design x Jordan Brand Air Cadence and Casablanca revealed it would release a second set of New Balance 327s. We were also given a closer look at the Grateful Dead‘s fur-equipped Nike SB Dunk Low collection and another glance at Neymar Jr.’s Air Max 2090s.
Elsewhere, Sotheby’s announced it would auction off a pair of track spikes handcrafted by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, with prices expected to top $130,000 USD. More new styles from Jordan Brand continued to leak out as well, including the Air Jordan 14 “Gym Red” and Air Jordan 3 in “Blue Cement” plus “Fire Red Denim” makeups.
Finally, on the high-fashion front Dior dropped new black and white B23 Slip-Ons with Shawn Stussy’s signature scrawled logo. The Parisian couture house also blessed Daniel Arsham with a pair of its grail staus Air Jordan 1 Low, which the artist unboxed in an Instagram video.
Up to speed? It’s time to get into a dozen of this week’s best releases. Owing to the continued effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus and other current events, there’s still a lot of staggered drops going down so most — but not all — of this week’s list is centered around US arrivals. Check ‘em out below, and head over to our Drops page to see a full list.
Nike BETRUE 2020 Collection
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: June 22
Release Price: $90-$150 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Nike Sportswear’s annual celebration of Pride Month is exceptionally strong in 2020, thanks to a trim-but-substantial three-silhouette BETRUE collection. With colorful, meaningful takes on the Air Force 1, Air Max 2090, and ACG Air Deschutz, a sandal that’s one of summer 2020’s sleeper hits, these offerings are some of the best Pride-centric releases in recent memory.
Nike LeBron 17 “Graffiti”
Nike
Nike
Release Date: June 23
Release Price: $225 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: A potent, postponed style that was originally slated to drop at the beginning of June, the LeBron 17 “Graffiti” is a hybrid style that brings a past era of LeBron James’ Nike Basketball footwear into the present. Blending the colorway and style of the famous LeBron 4 “Graffiti” with the modern-day performance of the LeBron 17, this two-era silhouette is sure to delight King James’s legions of loyal fans.
Nike Dunk Low SP “Champ Colors”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: June 24
Release Price: $100 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Another style from Nike Sportswear’s well-received “Team Tones” pack, the Dunk Low SP “Champ Colors” draws both moniker and colorway inspiration from the Virginia Cavaliers. Although it’s indeed a nod to the most recent NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball champions, it’s all 1985 in style thanks to a low cut, a supple leather build and vivid, contrasting colorblocking.
adidas YEEZY QUANTUM “Barium”
Adidas
Release Date: June 25
Release Price: $250 USD
Where to Buy: YEEZY Supply
Why You Should Cop: Kanye West’s adidas YEEZY QUANTUM has been relatively quiet since igniting the sneaker world over NBA All-Star Weekend, but now ‘Ye’s hoop-inspired shoe is reportedly releasing in a “Barium” iteration. Named after an alkaline earth metal that shimmers in either grey or olive green depending on what kind of light it’s under, the “Barium” continues the adidas YEEZY line’s inherently earthy ethos — but in an entirely unique fashion. Various reports have pegged June 25 as the day of arrival.
Bodega x New Balance X-Racer “All Terrain”
Bodega
Bodega
Bodega
Release Date: June 25
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Bodega
Why You Should Cop: Centered around a theme and concept of the “new normal,” Bodega and New Balance’s X-Racer “All Terrain” is an appealing, outdoor-inspired sneaker with a rich tale to tell. Poking fun at the advertising agency-driven concept of “urban exploration” and even going as far to reference The Epic of Gilgamesh, the “All Terrain” is perfect for sneakerheads who want a shoe with a story that’s as well thought-out as its design.
Air Jordan 3 “Animal Instinct 2.0”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: June 25
Release Price: $250 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: Like its fur-equipped 1.0 counterpart, the Air Jordan 3 “Animal Instinct 2.0” uses undeniably rich materials. Unlike its aforementioned brethren, it’s reptilian in style, swapping out shaggy pony hair for premium printed leathers ranging from croc to snakeskin and more. A steep price point matches its premium stylings, but quality doesn’t come cheap on Air Jordans.
Brain Dead x Reebok Classic Leather
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: June 26
Release Price: $150 USD
Where to Buy: Reebok
Why You Should Cop: Mixing earthy meshes and suedes with fuzzy laces and special branding, Brain Dead’s Reebok Classic Leather is one of June’s most striking Reebok releases, and it was accompanied by an even more standout campaign featuring haunting marionettes. Now, it’s set for a wider release after last week’s Brain Dead-exclusive drop. $150 USD may seem steep for a Classic Leather, but if you appreciate the attention to detail that this pair puts on display it’s an easy pill to swallow.
Air Jordan 1 “Tie-Dye”
Nike
Release Date: June 26
Release Price: $170 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: Serving up free-spirited style, the Air Jordan 1 “Tie Dye” brings vivid tie-dyed prints to the AJ1 for the first time ever, then mixes them with light and dark base tones for a summer-ready look. It’s a women’s makeup, but one that’s unquestionably too good for Air Jordan-loving men to pass up. Thankfully, it’ll be available in an extended size run.
NEIGHBORHOOD x Mr.Cartoon x Vans Old Skool and Authentic
Allike
Allike
Allike
Allike
Allike
Allike
Release Date: June 26
Release Price: €85 EUR (Era, approximately $95 USD)/€95 EUR (Old Skool, approximately $107 USD)
Where to Buy: Allike
Why You Should Cop: One may be headquartered in Tokyo while the other takes residence in Los Angeles, but NEIGHBORHOOD and Mr. Cartoon have more in common than you might think. Now, the two have linked up with Vans for an Old Skool and Authentic, centered around an imaginary “Uncle Toon’s Mart” concept. Each interprets this in a different fashion — one with an all-over print, the other with old-school embroidery — but both supply a flair that’s equal parts TYO and LA.
Nike LeBron 7 “MVP”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: June 26
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: First introduced to celebrate LeBron James’ back-to-back NBA MVP awards in 2009 and 2010, the Nike LeBron 7 “MVP” is now set for its first ever retro release. With a varsity jacket-inspired build that features chenille Swooshes, fabric quarter panels and plenty of MVP-centric branding, these shoes are a physical manifestation of LeBron’s greatness, communicated in a way that’s still striking a decade later.
atmos x Sean Wotherspoon x ASICS GEL-LYTE III
Release Date: June 27
Release Price: ¥17,500 JPY (Men’s, approximately $164 USD)/¥8,000 JPY (Kids, approximately $75 USD)
Where to Buy: atmos
Why You Should Cop: A three-headed collaboration that nods to sneaker culture in Los Angeles and Tokyo alike, the atmos x Sean Wotherspoon x ASICS GEL-LYTE III has been teased for months on end and is finally set for an official release. Covered in Wotherspoon’s signature colorful corduroy and arriving with five interchangeable Tiger stripes plus other patches, these vivid, vibrant, V-tongued sneakers will be available in both men’s and kids sizes.
Air Jordan 11 Low “Concord Bred”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: June 27
Release Price: $185 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: Jordan Brand’s Air Jordan 11 Low “Concord Bred,” also known as the “Gym Red,” is an amalgamation of two signature Jordan Brand styles. Elegant yet crisp, these low-cut 11s are perfect for warm weather wear, and stake a solid claim for recognition among the other appealing styles from Jordan Brand’s extensive Summer 2020 release slate.
