Chitose Abe and the Swoosh Connect for a sacai x Nike Cortez Collab in This Week's Best Footwear Drops

August is jogging down to a close and the last official month of what has been quite the eventful Summer 2022 is approaching. And ahead of Labor Day Weekend, notable footwear imprints such as Nike, adidas and ASICS are fitting in a sizable amount of hot collaborations and general releases, but before we sift through those, let’s first break down all of the bigger sneaker-related headlines that turned up last week.

Sole Mates — Hypebeast‘s weekly sneaker feature series — tapped renowned graffiti artist FAUST to discuss his intricate SB Dunk High collaboration, how he developed his calligraphic style and more. Additionally, adidas announced that its current CEO Kasper Rorsted will be stepping down in 2023, so we took a dive into what the brand could be doing moving forward to keep its fans engaged.

On the news front, we caught an official look at the COMME des GARÇONS HOMME PLUS x Nike Air Max 97 in black, a closer look at the busy Cactus Plant Flea Market x Nike Dunk Low “Overgrown” colorawy and TITAN’s Nike LeBron 19 Low “Beyond The Seas.” Jordan Brand also had a handful of kicks to show off as well including an alternate green Air Jordan 7 colorway from Bephie’s Beauty Supply, Jayson Tatum’s Ford Mustang Air Jordan 14 PE and the Jordan Granville Pro — the brand’s newest lifestyle silhouette.

adidas made sure to make sure we felt its presence as well. The Three Stripes executed a global launch of its newest Bad Bunny x adidas Forum Low “Blue Tint,” previewed the adidas YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 “MX Grey” and shared an initial glance at the adidas YEEZY 450 “Stone Flax.” Elsewhere in the world of shoes, Clarks and Moncler announced their joint collection, Maison Margiela and Reebok presented the Zig CR and New Balance unveiled a crispy New Balance 2002R “Calm Taupe” installment.

Now that we’ve got you up to speed, let’s get into this week’s top 10 launches here below. And when you finish checking those out, be sure to browse the HBX online store for more footwear styles.

sacai x Nike Cortez “White/University Red”

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The Darkside Initiative

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The Darkside Initiative

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The Darkside Initiative

Release Date: August 31
Release Price: $180 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS and The Darkside Initiative (Raffle Closed)
Why You Should Cop: Chitose Abe is poised to enter the chapter of her ongoing partnership with Nike this week but introducing her own take of the classic Cortez in a Forrest Gump-reminiscent colorway. The classic silhouette has been modernized with her signature double-stacked design language as there are now two tongues and multiple Swoosh logos. More dimension has been added to the sole unit to give the kicks more of a tech-y feel and the forefoot now exposes a small Zoom unit.

Nike Dunk High “Desert Camo”

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Nike

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Nike

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Nike

Release Date: August 31
Release Price: $135 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Dunks continue to dominate the marketplace as Nike continues to pump out a plethora of new colorways every month. And next up for the hoops-turned-lifestyle model is a new “Desert Camo” iteration for the ladies. Base layers discard their normal leather fabrics and bring in canvas materials reminiscent of military jackets, and these are completely swathed in sandy camo patterns.

Tom Sachs x NikeCraft General Purpose Shoe “Archive”

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Nike

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Nike

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Nike

Release Date: September 1 (NikeCraft), September 2 (SNKRS)
Release Price: $110 USD
Where to Buy: NikeCraft and SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Tom Sachs and the Swoosh are reuniting to broaden their range of the NikeCraft General Purpose Shoe with a new “Archive” colorway. Unlike the inaugural release, this latest iteration takes a more bold approach as the uppers shine with a golden yellow base complemented with angelic Swooshes, creamy midsoles and black treading.

Stüssy x Converse Chuck 70 “Surfman”

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Stüssy

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Stüssy

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Stüssy

Release Date: September 1
Release Price: $110 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Stüssy and Converse are back at it again with a new collaborative installment of the classic Chuck 70 Hi. Like the duo’s last project, the uppers on this variation have been crafted with a breathable, earth-friendly hemp, but they’ve been fashioned with a more vivid plumeria hue. California essence is further echoed by a Surfman logo that shows face in black on the lateral panels.

CLOT x Jordan Delta 2 “Flint”

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Clot

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Clot

Release Date: September 2
Release Price: $160 USD
Where to Buy: JUICE
Why You Should Cop: CLOT and Jordan Brand’s latest Jordan Delta 2 collaboration is a homage to one of MJ’s most iconic retro offerings: the Air Jordan 13 “Flint.” The sneakers does its best impersonation of the classic kicks by ushering in pockmarked panels that are fitted in navy and Jordan-branded hang tags that are equipped with green holograms.

adidas Hu NMD S1 RYAT “Cardboard”

Adidas

Release Date: September 2
Release Price: $250 USD
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: Pharrell and his adidas camp are gearing up for major expansion in this second half of 2022, and one silhouette that is leading the way is the adidas Hu NMD S1 RYAT. Next in line to release to the public is a “Cardboard” colorway which is engineered with a blend of neutral tones and vibrant accents to make for a fitting pick-up heading into the Fall season.

adidas YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 “Slate”

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Adidas

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Adidas

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Adidas

Release Date: September 2
Release Price: $230 USD
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: You might be tired of seeing new colorways of the YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 every month, but as long as Ye and the adidas team keep seeing this model sell out, it’s going to keep on trucking along. On deck for the lifestyle silhouette is a new “Slate” colorway which covers a majority of its PrimeKnit upper half in its titular shade while a solid black side strip sits adjacent. Ribbed midsole units down below are loaded up with the usual BOOST cushioning for a comfy ride.

Air Jordan 6 “Georgetown”

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Nike

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Nike

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Nike

Release Date: September 3
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: One tendency that we see from Jordan Brand is that it will often allow its various retro silhouettes to channel the same motifs. The “Georgetown” theme is one that we’ve seen apply to styles like the Air Jordan 3 and Air Jordan 1 Hi ‘85, and now we’re seeing drop off on the Air Jordan 6. A Hoya-inspired gray covers a majority of the real estate her while notes of navy blue accent through the toggles and midsole molds.

PSG x Air Jordan 5 Low

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Nike

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Nike

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Nike

Release Date: September 3
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: As a Jordan-sponsored football club, PSG has the luxury of linking up with the brand for various apparel and footwear collections. After cooking up collaborative Air Jordan 4s, AIr Jordan 1s and more, the two entities have merged once again to introduce an Air Jordan 5 Low makeup. The muted beige uppers are accessorized by Paris-influenced hits such as the Paname tags which are adorned with the France flag colors and the heels which come embellished with the club’s logo in “wax” form.

PLEASURES x ASICS GEL-LYTE III

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Pleasures

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Pleasures

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Pleasures

Release Date: September 3
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: PLEASURES
Why You Should Cop: After introducing a GEL-KAYANO 14 capsule alongside JJJJound, ASICS has tossed itself back to the collaboration ring for a two-pronged capsule with PLEASURES. One rendition comes manufactured with a mix of white and gray uppers and bears a bold red PLEASURES logo on back while the other is formed with various gray panels, purple tiger stripes and teal piping.