Aleali May's Luxurious Air Jordan 14 Leads This Week's Best Footwear Drops

HYPEBEAST‘s Weekly Footwear Drops list isn’t heading back to school this week — nor is it taking a trip to Hawaii — but in this intermittent period between summer and the start of school for most of the United States there’s plenty of appealing sneakers releasing so we rounded up the ten best. The offerings include new styles from Nike plus collaborations from Jordan Brand, Reebok, Vans, HOKA ONE ONE and more, but before we dive in let’s take a primer on what went down last week.

On the feature front, the latest installment of Sole Mates saw HYPEBEAST chat with rising British rapper Aitch about his love of the Air Jordan 4. We also talked with Aries founder Sofia Prantera about her new Vans collaboration, brought the Dunk Low “Seoul” around the streets of South Korea to see what locals thought, spoke with a brand that makes sneakers from coffee grounds and provided a closer look at the Pharrell x adidas Humanrace Sičhona.

Tragedy struck the sneaker community last week too, as Shoe Palace employee Jayren Bradford was killed while trying to intervene in a dispute regarding a sneaker raffle. In the corporate world, Jordan Brand VP of footwear Gentry Humphrey retired after almost 30 years under the greater Nike, Inc. umbrella.

If you love co-created Nike kicks, the past seven days were a great stretch for you. sacai and Nike officially revealed LDWaffle collaborations with fragment design, CLOT and UNDERCOVER, Travis Scott teased another upcoming Air Max 1 while also revealing the Solefly x Air Jordan 1 Low and Hiroshi Fujiwara showed off a new take on the fragment design x Nike Dunk High “Beijing.” We also got an on-foot look at the A Ma Maniére x Air Jordan 1 High. Many a sneakerhead took an L on last week’s drop of the Travis Scott x fragment design x Air Jordan 1 Low too, but at least Scott’s Cactus Jack outfit managed to cancel three million bot orders.

Moving into non-collaborative Nike, Inc. news, the Air Jordan 36 was officially revealed, it was announced that the Air Jordan 5 “Oreo” would return later this year, we got a closer look at the Air Jordan 1 “Hand Crafted” and saw a new Air Jordan 1 Low “Mighty Swooshers.” There was also more Dunk news than you could shake a stick at, namely the Dunk High in “Midnight Navy” and “University Red,” plus the Dunk Low in “Grey Fog,” “Georgetown,” “Goldenrod” and more.

Rounding off the news were two adidas collaborations from vastly different parties: the Ned Flanders-inspired The Simpsons x adidas McCarten and Kanye West’s YEEZY BOOST 700 “Fadazu.” Finally, Kiko Kostadinov, Brain Dead and ASICS’ GEL-Fratelli released in a limited run of 120 pairs.

All caught up? Check out this week’s ten best releases below. When you’re done, head over to HBX to check out even more new footwear styles.

Air Jordan 36 “Global Game” PE Collection

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Release Date: August 17 (Kia Nurse and Guo Ailun), August 21 (Jayson Tatum) and August 22 (Rui Hachimura)
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Jordan Brand is wasting no time in rolling out the Air Jordan 36, as four of the five colorways in its “Global Game” PE pack are dropping this week. Kia Nurse and Guo Ailun’s PEs will kick off the festivities on August 17 — the former releasing in Canada and Los Angeles, the latter in China — while Jayson Tatum’s PE will follow with an August 21 release in the US and Rui Hachimura’s style will hit Asia and Latin America come August 22.

Nike Dunk Low “Crazy Camo”

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Release Date: August 18
Release Price: $110 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Nike’s Dunk Low “Crazy Camo” supplies a compelling camouflage cornucopia. Spread across its ripstop upper are a multitude of camo patterns, ranging from woodland camo to tiger camo and much more. Its look is just as unhinged as its name implies, but if you’re a camo fan or a sneakerhead who’s sick of all the sporty two-tone Dunks we’ve seen this summer the “Crazy Camo” is a perfect style for you.

Kids of Immigrants x Vans Old Skool “Anything is Possible”

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Release Date: August 18 (Greenhouse) and August 20 (Kids of Immagrants)
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Greenhouse and Kids of Immigrants
Why You Should Cop: Kids of Immigrants is three Vans Old Skool collaborations deep, and for its third effort Daniel Buezo and Weleh Dennis’ brand has used its “Anything is Possible” slogan for inspiration. Though the classic skate silhouette may be dressed in a simple cream colorway, its construction is anything but straightforward thanks to the use of corduory, shearling, velvet, paisley and patent leather. There’s more to the shoe than meets the eye, ensuring that it lives up to its tagline.

Aleali May x Air Jordan 14 “Fortune”

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Release Date: August 19
Release Price: $190 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Extra Butter
Why You Should Cop: Aleali May is celebrating her Filipina heritage with her Air Jordan 14 “Fortune” collaboration. Directly inspired by the jade bangles May’s grandmother (or Lola) passed down to her when she was a child, her latest shoe explores the importance of family herlooms. It also continues the seamless mingling of sport and luxury that May is known for, thanks to embellishments like jade midsole details and gold accents.

JUUN.J x Reebok Pump Omni Zone II Collection

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Release Date: August 19
Release Price: $280 USD
Where to Buy: Reebok
Why You Should Cop: JUUN.J and Reebok have pretty much mastered the art of monochromatic collaborative kicks, and their latest effort is a three-pack of takes on the Pump Omni Zone II. Arriving in a boot-like wheat tone plus black and white styles, JUUN. J’s Pumps are equal parts basketball and high fashion, with a special heel detail to boot.

Engineered Garments x HOKA ONE ONE Bondi L Collection

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Release Date: August 19
Release Price: £170 GBP (approximately $235 USD)
Where to Buy: 18Montrose and Goodhood
Why You Should Cop: Engineered Garments and HOKA ONE ONE have been cookin’ up since 2018, but their new four-pack of takes on the Bondi L may be their most luxurious effort yet. “Sand Leopard Print” “Simply Taupe Cow Hair,” “Brown Croc Print” and “Black Cow Hair” styles bring animal prints and pony hair patterns to HOKA’s premium runner, making for shoes that supply style, functionality and comfort in equal measures.

Nike Dunk High 1985 “Red Acid Wash”

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Release Date: August 19
Release Price: $130 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: If kickin’ it old school is your goal this week, you’ll likely want to look towards the Nike Dunk High 1985 “Red Acid Wash.” Featuring an ultra high-cut construction and retro shape inspired by the original 1985 Dunk, the “Red Acid Wash” also supplies an acid-washed pattern on its upper, yellowed midsoles and even a special box. A trip back to the ’80s in sneaker form, you could say.

New Balance 2002R “Protection Pack”

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Release Date: August 20
Release Price: $130 USD
Where to Buy: New Balance
Why You Should Cop: Nobody would have ever thought a performance running shoe from the ’00s would live a second life as a casual favorite in 2021, but then again the New Balance 2002R is a sneaker that continues to defy expectations. For its latest stunt, it’s released in a “Protection Pack” of deconstructed “Rain Cloud”, “Phantom” and “Sea Salt” colorways. The “Protection Pack” has released sporadically around the globe, but this week marks its full US debut.

Aries x Vault by Vans “Go Your Own Way” Collection

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Release Date: August 21
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Aries
Why You Should Cop: Aries and Vault By Vans’ “Go Your Own Way” collection is a celebration of individuality, one that offers six shoes in total: two takes on the Authentic, two iterations of the Sk8-Mid and two styles of the Chukka. It’s big, bold and bright, with patterns ranging from tiger stripes to a blunty-named “Weed Muted” print. In short, it’s a great way to stand out — or skate — in style.

Air Jordan 12 Utility

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Release Date: August 21
Release Price: $190 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: It’s been a long, hot summer, but cooler days are ahead — and the Air Jordan 12 Utility just may be a perfect option for fall ‘fits. It supplies a low-key black color scheme with a few pops of red detailing, but its most interesting feature is its recycled Nike Grind midsole, making it the first-ever Air Jordan 12 to offer a sustainability aspect.