US Debut of the Air Jordan 1 CO.JP "Tokyo" Leads This Week's Best Footwear Drops
Alongside the AJ1 “Satin Snake,” OG Nike Air Ships and a global drop for the JJJJound x New Balance 992.
July has come and gone, and the world’s foremost footwear brands are wasting no time getting down to business in the new month. The first week of August is full of drops ranging from covetable Air Jordans to futuristic, sustainable running shoes — but before we bring you the best of the best, let’s get up to speed on what went down last week.
COMME des GARÇONS burst back into the collaborative spotlight in a major way, with HOMME PLUS premiering reflective iterations of Nike’s Air Carnivore and SHIRT showing off obscure ASCIS collaborations as part of their respective Spring/Summer 2021 seasons. After crafting what may well have been the shoe of 2018 with its Frankensteined Air Jordan 1s, Union returned with a duo of divisive, boldly colorblocked Air Jordan 4s dubbed “Off Noir” and “Guava Ice.” G-Dragon got in on the fun as well, thanks to another version of his PEACEMINUSONE x Nike Air Force 1 “Para-Noise 2.0.” sacai’s sporty Nike VaporWaffle SP in white, red and blue also got an on-foot look.
From a charitable standpoint, Virgil Abloh and Notre raffled off the Off-White™ x Air Jordan 4 “Sail,” raising over $187k USD — or 3,743 “Virgils” — all of which went to Chicago-based community organization Hugs No Slugs. Nike and Jordan Brand got specific on BLM-related donations, announcing the first round of partners for their respective $40m and $100m USD initiatives. On a less fortunate note, Nike pulled out of a Goodyear, Arizona factory that it had invested $184m in, citing COVID-19 coronavirus related impacts.
Elsewhere, adidas announced the return of its A-ZX line, debuting three silhouettes from the pack’s 26 total offerings alongside a mysterious “periodic table” that teases future releases. Allen Iverson’s ever-beloved Reebok Question Mid is set to return in an OG “Red Toe” makeup with special suede detailing, and Nike Basketball went full future-forward with the reveal of the LeBron Soldier 14 plus an Adapt BB 2.0 “MAG.” On the Nike SB front, a rare look at the process behind the product was provided by designer Bryce Wong, who showed off a handmade SB Dunk High sample that provided inspiration for the “Sashiko” pack.
All caught up? Let’s get right into this week’s 12 best drops. As always, note that release dates may change unexpectedly due to the effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and check out HYPEBEAST’s Trading Post for even more arrivals from this week.
Feng Chen Wang x Converse Jack Purcell
Converse
Converse
Converse
Converse
Converse
Converse
Release Date: August 6
Release Price: $130 USD
Where to Buy: Converse
Why You Should Cop: When it comes to footwear, designer Feng Chen Wang is known for her artful, conceptual re-works of heritage Converse models. For Wang’s latest Converse project, she’s taken on the Jack Purcell, presenting a layered iteration with details inspired by traditional Chinese basket weaving. Arriving in both “Black” and “Sea Salt” colorways, these FCW Jack Purcells offer a fresh twist on a storied style.
Air Jordan 1 “Satin Snake”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: August 6
Release Price: $170 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: Combining smooth satin and slithering snakeskin, the Air Jordan 1 “Satin Snake” is a clever color and material-flipped take on 2019’s popular AJ1 “Satin Black Toe.” It’s a women’s style, but will come in an extended size run that’s sure to placate large-footed sneakerheads looking to add a little reptilian Air Jordan flair to their rotations.
HUMAN MADE x adidas Campus and Stan Smith
Nice Kicks
Nice Kicks
Nice Kicks
Nice Kicks
Nice Kicks
Nice Kicks
Nice Kicks
Nice Kicks
Nice Kicks
Release Date: August 6
Release Price: $150 USD (Campus)/$140 USD (Stan Smith)
Where to Buy: Nice Kicks
Why You Should Cop: Nigo’s HUMAN MADE views classic American products through an Ametora-style lens, and this old school Japanese/US ethos translates perfectly onto HM’s latest adidas collaboration: fresh takes on the Campus and Stan Smith. The former uses bright suede and subtle detailing while the latter adds signature vintage branding and heart hits, making for a duo of delightfully dashing collaborative kicks with four colors in total.
Nike VaporMax 2020 “Deep Royal” and “Summit White”
Nike/Asphalt Gold
Nike/Asphalt Gold
Nike/Asphalt Gold
Nike/Asphalt Gold
Nike/Asphalt Gold
Nike/Asphalt Gold
Release Date: August 6
Release Price: $250 USD
Where to Buy: Nike, Foot Locker and Asphalt Gold
Why You Should Cop: Nike’s VaporMax 2020 is continuing its strong first month on the market with new “Deep Royal” and “Summit White” makeups. One may offer a wild mix of multicolor accents while the other supplies a masterfully mild style, but both are sustainably built and equipped with a special FlyEase lacing system to up both the ease of fit and the technical nature of the build.
Parley x adidas 4D Parley
Adidas
Adidas
Adidas
Release Date: August 7
Release Price: $200
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: A new advancement for both parties involved, Parley and adidas’s 4D Parley runner is sleek, stylish and sustainable. Even 18 months ago, the thought of a collaborative 4D sneaker for $200 USD would be laughable — so the 4D Parley is a physical manifestation of how much progress has been made on one of adidas’s most advanced technologies.
Nike Air Ship Pro “Bred”
Back-Door Bottega
Back-Door Bottega
Back-Door Bottega
Release Date: August 7
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Back-Door Bottega
Why You Should Cop: The most limited — and frankly, most unexpected — release of the week, Nike’s Air Ship Pro “Bred” represents a moment 36 years in the making. The shoe “banned” by the NBA in 1984, the Air Ship Pro is a key part of Michael Jordan’s footwear history, and it’s back in all its original glory with just one twist: an upgraded React midsole for modern-day comfort. It’s releasing exclusively at Italy’s Back-Door Bottega, and a scant 150 raffle tickets are hidden through the city of Bologna, Italy. If you’re interested — and in IT — you’d better get to looking.
Reebok Question Mid “OG Meets OG”
Reebok
Reebok
Reebok
Release Date: August 7
Release Price: $150 USD
Where to Buy: Reebok and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: Bringing two crossover kings from two different eras together, Reebok’s Question Mid “OG Meets OG” combines Allen Iverson’s first and most famous signature sneaker with the first colorway of James Harden’s adidas Harden Vol.1. If a ball-dominant guard was a sneaker, this would be it.
Air Jordan 1 CO.JP “Tokyo/Metallic Silver”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: August 7
Release Price: $170 USD (Men’s)/$130 USD (Kids)
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: They don’t come with a special suitcase and they have a new nickname, but the Air Jordan 1 CO.JP “Tokyo” (AKA “Metallic Silver) is coming to the US in all its shimmering glory for the first time ever. An artfully re-created style from 2001 with a few little tweaks, the “Tokyo” is sure to find favor with OG collectors and new-jack Jordan heads alike.
Concepts x New Balance 327 “Cape”
Concepts
Concepts
Concepts
Release Date: August 7
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: Concepts
Why You Should Cop: A colorful homage to a refreshing summertime cocktail, the Concepts x New Balance 327 “Cape” draws its inspiration from a vodka cranberry cocktail, known in New England parlance as a “Cape Codder.” Red, blue and lime colorblocking represent the cocktail’s ingredients, and special Concepts embellishments sprinkle a final garnish on the tasty, warm weather-ready build. The “Cape” will release exclusively at Concepts this week, then hit global stockists on August 13.
adidas ZX 10000 C “OG”
Adidas
Adidas
Adidas
Release Date: August 7
Release Price: $100 USD
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: Kicking off 2020’s iteration of the “A to ZX” pack, adidas’s ZX 10000 C OG is re-releasing in all its original glory for the first time ever. With smooth blue tones and a heritage-geared build, it’s a truly timeless retro runner — one that can be yours for a mere hundred bucks.
JJJJound x New Balance 992
Mita
Mita
Mita
Mita
Mita
Release Date: August 7
Release Price: $260 USD
Where to Buy: mita
Why You Should Cop: After a surprise drop and subsequent instant sellout at the end of July, JJJJound’s duo of New Balance 992s are set for a global release. Arriving in a forest green or an earthy brownish grey, each made in the USA pair offers JJJJound’s signature minimalistic look and extreme quality/attention to detail. Instagram archive pages, eat your heart out.
Air Jordan 3 CO.JP “Denim”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: August 7
Release Price: $190 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS Japan and END.
Why You Should Cop: Where the above-mentioned Air Jordan 1 “Japan” is a revived relic from Nike’s long-dormant CO.JP line, the new Air Jordan 3 “Denim” may be a part of its revival. Boasting grey elephant-printed denim on the toebox and heel, the “Denim” takes the rest of its colorblocking inspiration from the OG AJ3 “Fire Red.” On its CO.JP exclusive version, the normal heel text is altered to read “Nike Air” in Japanese, while a version releasing across the rest of the globe a day later uses standard Nike branding.
