Jordan Brand Revives the Classic Air Jordan 11 "Cool Grey" In This Week's Best Footwear Drops
Rich Paul’s New Balance 550 and the adidas YEEZY 700 V3 “Copper Fade” are also releasing.
School is almost out for winter break, the weather is starting to drastically become colder and everyone is starting to really delve into the festive spirit for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays. And in case you were thinking of blessing a friend, loved one or family member with some new kicks this holly jolly season you’re in luck because all of your favorite footwear brands like Jordan Brand, Nike, adidas and more have got some gift-worthy releases in their cannon this week. Prior to us running through those drops, let’s first do a quick recap of all of the biggest sneaker news items that arose last week.
Exclusive content from the HYPEBEAST team continued with a new installment of Sole Mates that involved Seattle-based creative Ralph Suguitan and his love for the Nike KD 4 “Easter.” There was a plethora of new products that Nike took time to uncover last week including that of the Nike SB Dunk High “Medium Grey,” a fragment design x Nike by You Zoom VaporFly NEXT% and an early glimpse of the Polaroid x Nike SB Dunk Low. The imprint’s Beaverton next door neighbors at Jordan Brand also previewed some exciting initiatives including an Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey” inspired Fortnite project, official photos of the Air Jordan 1 High “Hand Crafted” and an early view of the Bulls-friendly Air Jordan 1 High “Heritage.”
The Three Stripes family made sure to create some buzz-worthy moments as well by teasing a new adidas YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 “Dazzling Blue” colorway, reveal its metaverse images with alongside Bored Ape Yacht Club, Pixel Vault’s Punks Comic and crypto investor Gmoney and reveal its newest Takumi Sen 8 runner.
Elsewhere in the realm of footwear, we saw UNITED ARROWS drop an extra clean New Balance 550 colorway, Premier celebrate its 20th anniversary with a lacy duo of Vans makeups and Asdum and Merrell link up for a hiking-friendly footwear collab.
Now that you’re all updated with the latest in shoes, take a moment to browse through the top 10 releases of the week here below. And when you’re all wrapped up, be sure to check out HBX for more footwear offerings.
Louis De Guzman x New Balance 574
Release Date: December 7 (Greenhouse), December 8 (Foot Locker)
Release Price: $85 USD
Where to Buy: Greenhouse and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: Filipino-American artist Louis De Guzman has reconnected with the folks at New Balance to whip up a second 574 collaboration. This newest team-up is a nod to his ongoing series In Between the Lines as it features his abstract graphics within lateral “N” logos. Between the supple leather and smooth suede overlays, the shoes are also treated with a various shades of blue and louder pink and red accents to make for a well-balanced colorway.
Craig Green x adidas SCUBA PHORMAR
Release Date: December 9
Release Price: $250 USD
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: Craig Green is extending his partnership with the Three Stripes by launching a brand new silhouette: the Craig Green x adidas SCUBA PHORMAR. The fresh model bears a collapsible upper that is fastened by two sets of tunnels and cords. The first starts at the toe tips and runs across the eyestays while the second begins at the toe and connects to the heels. The London-based designer has crafted a trio of colorways for this launch.
Fucking Awesome x Vans UltimateWaffle EXP
Release Date: December 9
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Vans
Why You Should Cop: After going on a two-year hiatus, skate label Fucking Awesome and Vans have joined hands once again to produce a minimal UltimateWaffle EXP collaboration. Anthony Van Engelen – a co-founder of FA — spearheaded the design for these kicks and opted to go with the SturdyStitch design method. This involves a TPU-based thread that is heat pressed and utilized to generate a breathable and durable monomesh base layer.
KAWS x sacai x Nike Blazer Low “Purple Dusk”
Release Date: December 10
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Renowned artist KAWS is continuing his run of footwear collaborations with sacai and Nike with the arrival of his “Purple Dusk” colorway. This vivid number makes use of its titular shade as the primary hue, and features accompanying accents of baby blue, magenta and yellow to effectively translate his artistic works. KAWS’ signature “XX” logos further echo its motif by being engraved into the midsoles and printed on the shoe inserts.
Rich Paul x New Balance 550
Release Date: December 10
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: New Balance
Why You Should Cop: It’s not everyday that you see a sports agent receive his own sneaker collaboration, but KLUTCH Sports Group founder Rich Paul has broken that barrier and earned himself his own collection with New Balance. In the footwear department, LeBron James’ agent has elected to put his touch on the 550, and it’s here that he reworks the classic hoops silhouette with perforated leathers and pebbled leather overlays. The kicks sport an aged look by bearing Sail-like base layers and accompanying this with cream, navy and baby blue accents.
JJJJound x Danner Feather Light/Mountain Light
Release Date: December 10
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: JJJJound
Why You Should Cop: To follow up on its collaboration from 2020, JJJJound has once again partnered up with Danner for a snow-ready footwear capsule. Together, the two have fashioned the Feather Light and Mountain Light silhouettes with earthy palettes, GORE-TEX lining to keep you protected during the colder seasons and Vibram outsoles for ample traction.
adidas Yeezy 700 V3 “Copper Fade”
Release Date: December 10
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: CONFIRMED
Why You Should Cop: Before the year concludes, Kanye West and adidas are having themselves quite the eventful month by delivering a plethora of new footwear offerings, one being the adidas YEEZY 700 V3 “Copper Fade.” As you can infer by its moniker, the gradient motif is the highlight of this colorway as the BOOST-less model makes use of its nominal tone to dress up on the side walls. More neutral tones arrive by way of chocolate brown hits that outfit the tongues while deep navy accent the midsoles and toe tip overlays.
Air Jordan 11 “Cool Grey”
Release Date: December 11
Release Price: $225 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: The holiday season is when Jordan Brand will typically usher in a hot ticket Air Jordan 11 release, and this year we’re seeing the revival of the “Cool Grey” colorway. It’s been 11 years since this classic makeup last saw a retro release, and this time it will be returning with all of its original design cues to best mimic its OG 2001 release.
adidas Yeezy FOAM RNNR “MX Sand Grey”
Release Date: December 11
Release Price: $80 USD
Where to Buy: CONFIRMED
Why You Should Cop: There’s no better time than the holidays to have a go-to slip-on mule or clog, and thankfully Kanye West and adidas are blessing us with a new Yeezy FOAM RNNR makeup. On deck for the polarizing model is the “MX Sand Grey” colorway which comes prepared with a marbled pattern across the upper. A majority of the base is swathed in its titular shade while notes of brown and baby blue accent through the aforementioned graphics to create a striking aesthetic.
Casablanca x New Balance XC-72
Release Date: December 11
Release Price: $150 USD
Where to Buy: New Balance
Why You Should Cop: Casablanca and New Balance have shown a great likeness of working together on footwear collaborations, and next up on their agenda is this creamy colorway of the XC-72. Most of the real estate here is treated with light and frothy hues — an appropriate palette choice for the winter season — while notes of emerald green and yellow accents show up on the New Balance branding atop the tongues and heels.