Notre and Nike Deliver Community-Centric Dunk Highs in This Week's Best Footwear Drops
Alongside the colorful adidas YEEZY BOOST 700 “Sun,” the food-focused Nike SB Dunk Low “Street Hawker,” the Patta x New Balance 991 and more.
January is a month that may seem endless in the world’s colder climates, but it’s plenty lively and eventful on the footwear front. Over the next seven days, Nike, adidas, New Balance and more have a veritable swath of drops both in-line and collaborative ready to go — and we’ve rounded up the ten best styles for you. However, before we dive into this week’s offerings let’s take a look back at what went down over the last seven days.
To celebrate the reveal of adidas’ UltraBOOST 21, HYPEBEAST talked to adidas Running creative director Sam Handy about the latest shoe in the UltraBOOST lineage and the design process behind the new model. We also spoke to legendary rapper Slick Rick about his lifelong love of Clarks, and designer Feng Chen Wang shared her affection for the Air Jordan 1 in a fresh installment of Sole Mates.
The Nike Dunk had its usual moments in the spotlight, namely an exclusive look at Bodega’s F&F Dunk High “Legend” and the reveal of a celebratory Dunk Low “Firecracker.” Apart from the popular lifestyle model, the Swoosh also made news with Virgil Abloh teasing seven new Off-White™ x Nike releases for 2021, Drake previewing a NOCTA Hot Step Air Terra in all white, Tiger Woods’ Air Zoom Tiger Woods ‘20 releasing in two colorways and the brand’s long-running Doernbecher initiative announcing that its next release would be 14 designs combined into one.
Jordan Brand’s entrants into this week’s goings-on were a combination of previews and official images. The most notable of the bunch was the Air Jordan 1 “Shadow 2.0,” which was accompanied by the Air Jordan 1 KO “Paisley.” We also saw official images of the Air Jordan 3 “Rust Pink,” Air Jordan 4 “Taupe Haze” and Air Jordan 9 “University Gold.”
Rounding off the news was the official reveal of Maison Martin Margiela and Reebok’s Tabi-toed Classic Leather — which followed a teaser from Kim Kardashian — new football boots from adidas (the PREDATOR FREAK) and PUMA (the Neymar Jr.-supported FUTURE Z 1.1) the upcoming size? x New Balance 550 and Louis Vuitton’s upcycled SS21 408 Trainer collection. Lastly, the week’s most surprising announcement was provided by Birkenstock — a brand that’s been family-owned for over 250 years but is in talks with CVC Capital about a potential $5 billion USD sale.
Now that you’re all caught up, let’s get into the goods. As always, note that any pairs listed below may be pushed back due to the continued effects of the coronavirus and head over to HBX to check out even more new footwear styles.
SBTG x Limited Edt x ASICS GEL-Lyte III “Monsoon Patrol”
Release Date: January 19
Release Price: $170 USD
Where to Buy: Afew and 43einhalb
Why You Should Cop: Inspired by discovery, exploration and Singapore’s monsoon seasons, the SBTG x Limited Edt x ASICS GEL-Lyte III “Monsoon Patrol II” is releasing globally after an exclusive drop at the top of the month. Featuring a crisp “Lichen Green” colorway, technical lacing system and “Monsoon Patrol II” shroud that shields the signature split tongue, it’s a tastefully technical take on a classic and an apt follow up to 2018’s first “Monsoon Patrol” style.
Denim Tears x Converse Chuck 70 Hi
Release Date: January 19
Release Price: $100 USD
Where to Buy: Denim Tears
Why You Should Cop: Tremaine Emory’s Denim Tears first released its Converse Chuck 70 collaboration in October 2020, but now the flag-printed red, green and black sneaker inspired by David Hammons’ African-American Flag is back once again. This restock differs slightly from the original, however: Hammons’ name is printed on the inside of the tongue, a small but potent acknowledgement of his influence on the product
Notre x Nike Dunk High “Blue Void” and “Light Orewood Brown”
Release Date: January 21 (Notre) and January 23 (Nike SNKRS, just “Blue Void”)
Release Price: $120 USD
Where to Buy: Notre and Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Notre’s duo of Dunk High collaborations is driven by Chicago’s sneaker/streetwear community and the store founders’ love of workwear. This ethos translates beautifully on “Blue Void” and “Light Orewood Brown” colorways alike, thanks to a keen attention to detail, rich mixture of materials, and special embellishments like Notre’s signature handshake on the medial Swoosh and a mechanic-style “name badge” on the left shoe’s tongue. Both will release exclusively at Notre on the 21st, then the “Blue Void” will drop again on Nike SNKRS on the 23rd.
Keith Haring x Dr. Martens 1460 and 1461
Release Date: January 22
Release Price: $65-$160 USD
Where to Buy: Dr. Martens
Why You Should Cop: It almost seems unfathomable that 2021 would be the first year that Keith Haring’s estate collaborated with Dr. Martens, but good things come to those who wait and Haring’s iconic pop art is now set to arrive on two classic silhouettes. Hitting both the 1460 boot and 1461 shoe with recognizable graphics that range from mild to wild, the collection’s offerings are just as much pieces of art as they are beloved boots.
Air Jordan 4 “Starfish”
Release Date: January 22
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: Another compelling women’s exclusive, the Air Jordan 4 “Starfish” boasts a black base rimmed and infused with rich orange details. It almost looks like it’s hiding something, like its orange hue may burst through in full any moment, and that’s what makes it so enthralling — besides its classic shape and details, of course. An extended size run will be available, enabling larger footed-individuals to get their “Starfish” on too if they wish.
Patta x New Balance 991
Release Date: January 22
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Patta
Why You Should Cop: If you’re New Balance, how do you celebrate the 991’s 20th anniversary? With a collaboration — and since the shoe’s 20th birthday is a milestone one, NB has tapped the savants at Patta to re-work the beloved sneaker. Mixing clean, earth tones with sharp gray shades, Patta’s take on the 991 is a fitting homage to the start of the model’s third decade on the market as well as a continuation of the two’s longstanding collaborative relationship. The first release is exclusive to Patta, and a global drop will occur next week.
Nike SB Dunk Low “Street Hawker”
Release Date: January 22
Release Price: $110 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and The Berrics Canteen
Why You Should Cop: Designed by Guangzhou artist Jason Deng, the Nike SB Dunk Low “Street Hawker” is a heartfelt hodgepodge of 22 different colors, materials and textures related to Chinese street food. Essentially, it’s the “What The” of food-themed sneakers too: each of the 22 parts is inspired by a different dish, accoutrement or item, ranging from flour-based dishes to Yanchun noodles, ten cent copper coins and chopsticks. A foodie’s dream in footwear form.
adidas YEEZY BOOST 700 “Sun”
Release Date: January 23
Release Price: $240 USD
Where to Buy: adidas and YEEZY Supply
Why You Should Cop: The most colorful 700 V1 we’ve seen yet — and arguably the most colorful makeup from the adidas YEEZY line to date — the adidas YEEZY BOOST 700 “Sun” boasts bold yellow and orange tones, cooled down just a touch by “Wave Runner”-like black and teal hits towards the forefoot. It’s also got a lower price point, $240 USD, that makes it shine even more brightly.
TITAN x Air Jordan 23 and 35
Release Date: January 23
Release Price: $250 USD (Air Jordan 23) and $180 USD (Air Jordan 35)
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: TITAN’s staggered global rollout of its Air Jordan 23 and 35 collaborations is set to come to an end this week, as both will release at US stockists. Dressed in a sporty color scheme and featuring TITAN’s lightning bolt details, both pairs are a highly-charged homage to the rich basketball culture in the Philippines — one that effortlessly translates its message to a global scale.
Nike Air Max 3 “Hot Lime”
Release Date: January 25
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Call it the Air Max 3, call it the Air Max 90. Whatever you’d prefer to call it, just make sure you also call the Air Max 3 “Hot Lime” a classic. A true-to-the OG re-creation of one of the AM3 (or 90’s) very first colorways, the “Hot Lime” serves up a potent dose of OG Nike Sportswear style, and deserves a spot in any Max lover’s rotation.