Nike’s Considered Design has been looking to make sneakers ‘greener’ for a good while now and here’s a look at one of the ways New Balance takes a little stress offa Mother Earth.  The New Balance 574 Sonic is every bit as iconic as the OG 574s, and they’re a bit more environmentally friendly thanks to sonic welding that holds the upper together and reduces both material and glue consumption.  And on the aesthetic side of things, these 574 Sonics are on point, with three different pairs offering a super clean two-toned colorway plus a black outsole.  Click the jump below to see all three and check back with Sneaker News for updates in advance of the Spring/Summer 2011 release.

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Back in 2004 San Francisco’s Huf was chosen to hand-pick a color for the Nike Air Max 1, and the result was a certified hit as it combined grey tones and green – an all too familiar yet very much welcome colorway for Nikes. However, an unreleased variation of the shoe was proposed, featuring the same use of grey tones but substituting the green for an orange blaze. Check out this unreleased sample of the Huf x Nike Air Max 1, featuring orange on the inner lining as well as the swoosh and Nike branding. Even the two-toned laces feature the color trim as well. These are indeed extremely rare and the asking price is at a premium, so take a look at the images after the jump and check out the starting bid price on this auction from middlefinger! on eBay.

Color: Anthracite/Orange Blaze-Medium Grey

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Wale’s clearly among the biggest celebrity sneakerheads, so Jordan Brand tapped the DMV emcee to show off some of their Holiday 2010 wares.  In the images from JB’s HO’10 lookbook featuring Wale and Lee England Jr., we get a look at JB’s lifestyle oriented models like the Air Jordan Spiz’ike Winterized Boot, the V.2 Grown Chelsea-chukka and new colorways of the Rare Air hybrid model.  There’s also a wide range of apparel and accessories, one of the best parts of which is a hat featuring the expression ‘Sick kicks since 1985′ wherein the ‘C’ is the Flu Game emoticon.  Check out more shots after the jump and stick with Sneaker News for updates on Air Jordan release dates.

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The year was 1997 and Michael Jordan was entering his final year with the Chicago Bulls; it was a bittersweet season for Bulls fans and the NBA – sad for the fact that the greatest ever would no longer be in a Bulls uni and happy for the fact that a team outside of Chicago had a chance at winning a ‘chip. During that wondrous season in which Jordan averaged nearly 29 points a game and led the Bulls to a 62-win season, Michael wore the Air Jordan XIII in a number of colorways – almost too many to count. Finally releasing after thirteen years of quietude are two original colorways of the AJ13 as well as a re-release of the Flints, all headed for a monstrous Holiday 2010 season.

The White/Red pair was Jordan’s favorite for Home games during the ’97-’98 regular season and we were lucky to get a low-top version in 2005, so the mid-top will be a huge hit once it releases. The Black/White pair was seen on MJ’s feet during the All-Star Game of that season as well as during Home Playoff Games. However the Retro releases looks to features a 3M-reflective mesh-like shroud (as seen on other AJ13 releases) rather than the original leather – quite possibly the Black/Voltage Cherry GS kids release. And finally, the Flint XIII will makes its third encore presentation as well. With three big Air Jordan XIII releases headed our way, making a concrete decision on just one pair is getting increasingly tough as the Holiday 2010 season nears. Which pair do you have your eye on? Let us know and check out the extra images after the jump.

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The weather’s cooling down and backpacks are beginning to be the norm, and that only means one thing; summer’s over. But for the last week of August, Sneaker News didn’t let you down as we brought you a plethora of great updates and features to turn your schoolwork frowns upside down. As usual, Sneaker News gave you a look at some great Air Jordan Samples as well as upcoming releases, as we provided a first-hand look at the Jordan Brand Holiday 2010 Lookbook that featured Wale and Lee England Jr (and that’s on top of all the celebrity feet). We also brought you Part 2 of the Pantone 284 Laser Jordan collection as well a retrospective on classic Air Jordan commercials. In addition to the Jordan frenzy Nike SB’s September line-up looked promising as ever and so did the Air Max/Nike Retro camp, as we got a peek at some great colorways that are soon to come and available now.

However this past week in Sneaker News was about more than updates and new images, but included some great features, like the New York Times’ investigative article on counterfeit sneakers. On the business side of things, Evan Turner joined an endorsement team from overseas, and one individual made up for a month’s quota for the Bespoke by creating ten (yes, ten) Bespokes in one sitting. Perhaps the most interesting piece of news was Nike’s attempts to patent the auto-lacing system, pointing to a possible production of the infamous self-lacing shoe that was featured in a movie over two decades ago. There was enough footwear-related news this week to last a month but Sneaker News didn’t skip a beat, so stop in before your schoolwork starts piling and check out this week’s Sneaker News Weekly Rewind.

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2010 has been a great year for ’90s Nike Basketball retros, and the Charles Barkley signature line in particular.  With the OG colorway of his Air Max2 CB ’94 releasing earlier this month, that shoe’s successor on deck for a December 1st release.  The Nike Air Max CB34 has a wacky style that could only have come from the middle ’90s, with a vertical column design that’s reminiscent of both the Air Max 95 and Air Up basketball shoe.  And you can’t go wrong with the original Phoenix Suns colorway, so click below to see more images and stick with Sneaker News for updates.

Style: 414243-002
Color: Black/Club Purple-Team Orange-Black
Release Date: December 1st, 2010

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On the first day of July Sneaker News gave you notice regarding a partnership between the Nike SB Dunk and the time-honored 2-D fighting game called Street Fighter. Two of its most notable characters Ryu and Chun Li were selected as the first two as part of the pack and while the Ryu’s SB Dunk Mid has yet to surface, Chun Li’s pair has begun to make its rounds. Featuring a blue, gold, and white upper matching Chun Li’s garments and a special black-and-white insole, the Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Chun Li’ is definitely one of the more memorable pairs of recent memory and will surely bring in fans of the game who aren’t necessarily sneakerheads. Check out the extra images after the jump and pick up a pair now from kixpress on eBay.

Style: 304292-405
Color: Argon Blue/White

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While Chad’s new teammate Terrell Owens has been rocking a ton of Jordan and Nike notables, Ochocinco himself has been part of the Reebok team, promoting the Zig technology in numerous ways (running naked through the forest being one example). Here’s a look at Chad’s new PE of the Reebok Zig Slash in a Bengals-born black and orange; the Zig midsole unit is entirely orange and the patent black leather upper is contrasted with additional orange trim on the upper tessellation design as well as the Reebok branding. Is there a possible sneaker battle brewing between ocho-cinco and ocho-uno? Continue reading for another look at let us know what you think. via Ochocinco’s Twitter.

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The past couple of weeks has seen several very good efforts from James Bond and David Beckham for Becks’ adidas Originals ObyO capsule.  As with all of the Bond x Beckham joints so far, these feature premium construction, with buttery soft leather playing the starring role on the rarely seen adidas Doley.  They’ve got a bit of the Chuck Taylor vibe with a simple toecap, but instead of rubber from the sole (which is actually vulc on these), it’s a rich caramel brown leather.  Looks great on the toe and heel with navy blue elsewhere and leather laces finish off the luxe look.  Superb execution of a model you don’t see every day, the Becks n Bond Doleys are available at select adidas retailers like Extra Butter.

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It’s been quite some time since we got a Retro release of the Air Jordan X (minus the CDP release) and it looks like we might have to wait just a bit more. In the meantime, we can expect these two new colorways of the Air Jordan Force Fusion 10; the first ‘Steel’ colorway was previewed some time ago but we now have a look at an upcoming pair inspired by the ‘Shadow’ colorway. No sign of a jersey number stitched on the upper side-wall of the Shadows but the use of materials brings this Fusion fairly close to the real thing. We can expect both of these Fusion Xs to release during the Holiday 2010 season so take another look at what’s to come by reading on and let us know which colorway of the two you enjoy more.

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Collaborations typically pair the creatively inclined with a famous sneaker silhouette, and we’ve even seen triple and quadruple teamups, but the latest Star Wars x adidas Originals release is unlike any other we’ve seen.  The Star Wars x adidas Top Ten Lo pictured above is literally split evenly between C3PO and R2D2, with R2 taking the medial sides and his white and blue buddy covering the lateral side of things.  It’s a pretty interesting look and is sure to draw some comparisons to the ‘Scarface’ Nike Air Force 1 from 2006.  But the Star Wars affiliation makes for a better packaging upgrade than Tony Montana’s film, so click the jump below to get a sense of what the C3PO x R2D2 Top Tens are all about and you can pick up a pair from Schuh-You.

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The phrase ‘Nike Tennis’ is likely to conjure images of Andre Aggasi and his Air Tech Challenge series, or perhaps the modern greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.  But don’t forget about where it all started, lest you sleep on classic models like the Nike All Court Low. Originally released in 1975, the All Court has seen several premium releases in collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara’s fragment design, and they’re back again with another Zoom Air-equipped tag team effort.  Each of these three pairs is a different texture of white leather, with just the heel adding a touch of color.  Choose from grey/blue, blue/pink or black/purple when they hit retailers soon, and you can see all three in detailed images by clicking the jump below.

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