Air Jordan 3 "Desert Elephant" Stomps Its Way Into This Week's Best Footwear Drops
The New Balance 990v3 “Scarlet,” Nike SB Dunk High “Mets” and Bodega’s Salomon X-Mission 4 Suede are also dropping.
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Global warming has been striking up heat waves across the globe in recent memory, and it looks as though sneaker brands are following suit and preparing an assortment of hot-ticket colorways to bless the footwear fans with this week. In the next seven days we’re going to see new releases from Jordan Brand, Nike and New Balance, but let’s first do a primer on all of the action from last week.
On HYPEBEAST‘s exclusive end, our site’s weekly Sole Mates series expanded thanks to our friend Kookies of ACU who highlighted one of his favorite Nike silhouettes — the Air Woven. Staying on the topic of the Swoosh imprint, we saw the company unveil a hoops-centric NOCTA collection, a Hot Wheels x Nike PG 6 and John Rattray’s Why So Sad? x Nike SB Bruin Mid. Jordan Brand introduced impending colorways as well such as the Air Jordan 4 “Midnight Navy,” the Air Jordan 36 “El Matador” for Luka Dončić’ and Satou Sabally’s Air Jordan 37 iteration.
Exciting new kicks were also introduced by the folks over at the Three Stripes. The controversial Adilette 22 slide added a “Carbon/Aluminum” rendition to its arsenal, Craig Green’s adidas Squash Polta AKH translucent uppers was revealed overseas, and a Rick and Morty-inspired X SPEEDPORTAL Boot was announced.
Other products that sparked some buzz included the Louis Vuitton Trainer 2, an ultra-functional ASICS GEL-KAYANO 14 with a mosquito net by BEAMS, a sleek Reebok NPC II by JJJJound and a wacky and colorful Gobstomper “Jimmy Fallon Edition” sneaker by MSCHF.
All up to speed? Perfect. Peep this week’s top releases below and be sure to check out HBX for more footwear styles.
Nike SB Dunk High “Mets”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: July 26
Release Price: $125 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Nike SB has put together a full-blown Dunk Low assemblage inspired by specific MLB franchises and one of the variations included is this New York Mets colorway. Blue and orange accents call out the team’s signature accent colors along the Swooshes, tongues and interior liners. Furthermore, the inside of the tongues feature playful graphics including a 7 train logo on the left shoe and an apple that nods to NYC on the right side.
Nike SB Dunk Low “Phillies”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: July 26
Release Price: $115 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: After several leaks, Nike SB’s baseball-inspired Dunk Low assortment is finally getting its chance to be delivered to the public. One iteration that’s part of this initiative is the Nike SB Dunk Low “Phillies” colorway which is fashioned to mimic its retro uniforms. Baby blue and maroon color-blocking shine throughout its upper and icons symbolic of Philadelphia such as the Philly Cheesesteak and the Liberty Bell are placed inside the tongues.
Nike LeBron 3 “The Shop”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: July 27
Release Price: $185 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: One method that Nike has been executing to keep OG fans of LeBron James happy is bringing back his earlier silhouettes. This week, the Nike LeBron 3 returns to the frontlines in a brand new “The Shop” colorway that is emblematic of his hometown and kids. The trio of leather panel side overlays and the insoles are treated with red, white and blue accents to mimic barbershop poles while “BBZ” is debossed into the medial wall to call out his children Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri.
New Balance 990v3 “Scarlet”
New Balance
New Balance
New Balance
Release Date: July 28
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: New Balance
Why You Should Cop: Teddy Santis has been making waves throughout the sneaker game thanks to his extensive Made in USA capsule with New Balance. His consistent outpour of 990v3 collaborations have garnered plenty of love in the last few months, and so he’s broadening his catalog with this clean “Scarlet” colorway. Its titular shade does most of the heavy lifting here as it covers the suede overlays while “Marblehead” accents sit adjacent on the thinner suede overlays atop the N logos, collars and toe boxes.
New Balance 990v2 “Chrysanthemum”
New Balance
New Balance
New Balance
Release Date: July 28
Release Price: $195 USD
Where to Buy: New Balance
Why You Should Cop: One initiative that the sneaker community has responded to with great praise throughout 2022 has been Teddy Santis’ Made in USA range alongside New Balance. A plethora of versatile colorways have been churned out by the Aimé Leon Dore founder, and he’s now adding this New Balance 990v2 “Chrysanthemum” to the pile. Its nominal shade takes charge here by covering the shaggy suede overlays on the heels and toe tips while the quarter panels deviate with a slightly darker shade of red. Navy hits also get thrown onto the the tongues, toe boxes and collars to create a USA-esque aesthetic.
Nike Dunk Low “Graffiti”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: July 28
Release Price: $110 USD
Where to Buy: Nike
Why You Should Cop: Whether you’re sick and tired of seeing them or not, Nike continues to flood the shelves with fresh Dunk colorways every month. On deck for the basketball-turned-lifestyle model is this Dunk Low “Graffiti” colorway which comes crafted with canvas uppers instead of the traditional leather. Pink, black and gray get mashed up across the entire base in spray painted fashion, and the panels are distressed at the edges to give the kicks more flair.
Air Jordan 37 “Light Bone”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: July 28
Release Price: $185 USD
Where to Buy: Nike
Why You Should Cop: Jordan Brand’s newest hoops signature in the Air Jordan 37 is finally ready to make its debut to the market in a crisp “Light Bone” color story. The court-ready sneakers come formed with a West African woven basket-esque build for the upper while a full-length Zoom Air strobel unit is situated down below to provide premium comfort and responsiveness for all who step foot into them.
Air Jordan 8 “Taxi”
Nike
Nike
Nike
Release Date: July 29
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Jordan Brand is treating its women’s audience with a batch of exclusive retro offerings this season, one of which is the Air Jordan 8 “Taxi.” Black is the primary hue of this iteration as it wraps the smooth leather overlays and toe boxes, perforated quarter panels and textured collars while bold “Taxi” yellow accents are dropped off onto the felt Jordan tongue logos, ankle buckles and midsole molds to complete its car-inspired motif.
Bodega x Salomon X-Mission 4 Suede
Bodega
Bodega
Bodega
Release Date: July 29
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Bodega
Why You Should Cop: Bodega has been pumping out a serious amount of sneaker collaborations all-year long, and next in line is a fresh X-Mission 4 Suede team-up with Salomon. Design-wise, these shoes were inspired by Bodega’s connection to outdoor exploration and its affinity for functional footwear. Built for the trails and the streets, the installment comes prepared with a smokey blend of black and gray tie-dye patterns while bold neon accents poke out through the tongues and Salmon heel branding.
Air Jordan 3 “Desert Elephant”
Sneaker Politics
Sneaker Politics
Sneaker Politics
Release Date: July 30
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS and Sneaker Politics
Why You Should Cop: Jordan Brand is once again shining a light on its popular Air Jordan 3 by proffering it in a modernized “Desert Elephant” colorway. Its nickname is reflected through a subtle design detail in the overlays as they discard its traditional cement grey patterns and usher in dusted brown suedes to copy the aesthetic of an elephant. A majority of the kicks come dressed with black uppers, but tiny orange hits show up on the interiors while white accents top off the Jordan logos on the heels.
