If Under Armor and similar tech-oriented athletic wear strikes you as “really, really ugly,” you’re not alone.  Supreme creative director Brendon Babenzien felt the same way, and a longing for the types of garments sportswear in which is grounded, is reflected in his new K-Swiss California Tennis Co. Collection.  An entire capsule about holdin’ on to what’s golden, it’s inspired by Martin Elliott’s eternally provocative photo “Tennis Girl”, but the apparel side of things offers a more ‘traditional’ fit.  There’s a retro locker room display currently in store at K-Swiss Harajuku, so click the jump below to see more of this Tokyo installation and stick with Sneaker News for updates on the Spring 2011 collection that’ll also be available in the US and Europe.  via WWD

Tweet

Continue Reading   

Without a doubt the most curious release of the year is the Air Jordan 1 Anodized. Not exactly the expensive material but the ‘Armor’ upper was immediately compared to the heavier foot-molding Foamposite, which led to many debates, discussions, general ‘OMGs’ and reactions of the like. The Air Jordan 1 has been released in a hundreds of colorways so it was time to turn the page and take it to the next level – and the Anodized material seemed like an adventurous direction, with goals of reinvention and rejuvenation in mind. The first Anodized release is the Metallic Silver colorway, which features a tonal silver upper, a white midsole, and a translucent icy-cold outsole. These just dropped at Nikestore so check out the detailed images and get your pair now.

Style: 414823-001
Color: Metallic Silver/White

Tweet

Continue Reading   

The days of ‘Flash’ are long gone as Dwyane Wade has been promoted to Agent D3 and given an immediate assignment – ‘Capture The Rings’. Dwyane Wade must track down his old friends the Snake Charmer, The Illusionist, and Green Gang en route to completing his mission of returning the prized rings to the city of Miami, and the kid from Marquette is no longer in basketball shorts; instead he’s donned in a slick tux that would make James Bond feel underdressed on his best day, and Agent D3 pulls off a number of stunts with ease on the way to arriving at a rendezvous point with his informant Kevin Hart just in time for a wardrobe change – with a possible sneak peek at a mysterious new Air Jordan model. What’s in store for Agent D3? Sneaker News has been appointed as a special informant for this challenging mission so stay tuned for more updates as we follow Dwyane Wade in ‘Dominate Another Day‘.

Tweet

Continue Reading   

Michael Jordan said the NBA’s current rules would allow him to score 100 points in his prime, but only one man has come remotely close since MJ’s retirement.  “81″ will always be associated with Kobe Bryant, and whether the same will be said of “5″ remains to be seen.  It could have just as easily been “4″, but the Lakers are now trying to build a second threepeat in just over a decade, and just like last year, there’s a championship ring-inspired edition of Bryant’s signature sneaker.  The Nike Zoom Kobe V ’5 Rings’ moves last year’s all-over gradient down to the midsole, leaving a variety of ways of saying ‘five’ as this colorway’s signature design element.  They’re written in tonal purple except for the toebox area, where you’ll find the symbols a bit easier to read in Laker gold.  Set to coincide with the Lakers’ 16th ring ceremony tonight at Staples Center, the ’5 Rings’ Zoom Kobe 5 will hit select Nike Basketball retailers tomorrow, and LA-based icons UNDFTD are pre-selling theirs today.

Tweet

Continue Reading   

In what has been the most incredible year ever for Air Jordan retro releases, we were treated to a second go round for a couple pairs of canvas Jays that hadn’t seen store shelves in over twenty years.  It started when the Air Jordan 1 KO dropped in its OG colorways back in March, followed by the original looks from the above pictured model this August.  Now that it’s canvas colorways are sold out, the Air Jordan Sky High is back in a duo of leather constructed pairs, each offering its take on a highly-perforated white/black palette.  They’re colorblocked like yin-yangs, so get both of them today (brave folks might even try mixing the two) from JB accounts like Corporate.

Tweet

Continue Reading   

Manny Pacquiao’s latest Nike Trainer PE hit Niketown NYC as part of the ‘All for One’ event last friday, but another new Pac-Man edition trainer is following the trend set by discussions with the Floyd Mayweather camp.  Originally expected online at NikeStore some time last night or today, Sneaker News recently learned that the Pacquao Collection that includes a new Nike Trainer 1.2 Low Pac-Man PE along with foursome of Pac-themed tees, is out on indefinite delay.  These depart from previous Pacquiao PEs’ Philippines theme and go for an intense bred look.  Word is we’ll “hopefully have a positive update for everyone tomorrow,” so check out some photos from Nike Wisma Atria in Singapore in the meantime and stick with Sneaker News for word on the US release.

Tweet

Continue Reading   

“What should I do?”  It’s a rhetorical question posed by one LeBron Raymone James at the beginning of his latest commercial for Nike Basketball.  If taken literally, we might respond by asking for the Inline 8s!  The ‘foundational’ colorway for the Nike LeBron VIII is this familiar trio of black, white and Sport Red.  Whereas in past years, this LeBron colorway was something of a forced match with Cleveland’s burgundy, gold and navy palette, the Air Max LeBron 8 will perfectly match the Miami Heat’s garb, be it home or away.  Have a closer look at how the upper brings together nubuck, leather and Flywire-embedded carbon fiber, how the speckled midsole adds some balance to the high-contrast look, and if you’re wondering how you can get your own pair, look no further than NikeStore or on eBay.

Style: 417098-002
Color: Black/White-Sport Red

Tweet

Continue Reading   

Though they’re equally dope in different ways, the adidas ZX 800 retro runner is often overshadowed by the ZX 8000.  Both feature classic running aesthetics, but neither has looked quite like this since they were released in the late ’80s and early ’90s, respectively.  The adidas ZX 800 is more like the ZX700 Boat if anything, but that comparison fails to capture the full essence of this mock-moc-toed boot of a hightop sneaker.  In the first run of colorways, you can already get a sense for how versatile the design will be, with a brown pair looking like a more traditional boot, while white and black pairs both have bright blue accents for a totally different end result.  Check out all three after the jump and look for these at select adidas Originals retailers soon.  via mita

Tweet

Continue Reading   

Don’t look now, but adidas Originals’ collaboration with the flamboyant designer Jeremy Scott seems to have seeped over into Three Stripes’ corporate cousin.  For the Reebok PT-20 INT ‘Plush Kitty’, we’re getting a look at a classic silhouette done up in three of the most ostentatious getups you could ever hope for.  Pairs in pink, black and white are each done in an all-over fuzzy material and add distinctive bowtie addons to the lateral ankles.  About as ‘Hello Kitty’ as you can get without an official Sanrio collabo (even the soles hint at it!), the Plush Kitty PT-20s are available now at atmos in Japan and you can see more photos by clicking below.

Tweet

Continue Reading   

Supra’s brand is built on the back of a flagship model that’ll one day be discussed right alongside the Air Force 1 or Chuck Taylor All Star.  The Supra Skytop is the shoe that started it all for the crown brand, and even with the Skytop II offering a unique progression and its own hot colorways, the OG Skytop continues to provide the foundation.  Every one of the four new colorways for Q4 2010 are dominated by the black/grey/white range, but the ways in which these shades are applied makes for all the difference.  Select red hits on one pair makes for a Chicago-style colorup, another goes the grey-dient route, a third does a similar trick but with different blocking for a totally different effect, and last but not least, a monochromatic TUF edition has us dreaming of a white Christmas.  Check out the entire run after the jump and look for these at select Supra stockists.

Tweet

Continue Reading   

The bridge isn’t over, it’s just beginning!  Who woulda thunk back when KRS-one laced into the Juice Crew, that individual skateboarders would one day have the business acumen to create their own entire line of sneakers and cut-n-sew.  But that’s the world we live in these days, a world where Keith Hufnagel’s namesake brand is dropping new colorways of their flagship sneaker along with one entirely new silhouette.  The HUF Bridge would be the latter, a lowtop with simple styling whose lines read something like the HUF 1 hightop, plus a big side panel ‘H’.  Check out black and green Bridges with gum soles, plus two HUF1s in shades of black/grey/white, all four of which are avaiable at all three HUF stores and online.

Tweet

Continue Reading   

For our latest giveaway, the Sneaker News staffed decided to switch things up a bit by giving away two copies of NBA 2K11, arguably the greatest basketball simulation game ever created. As we stated before, basketball and kicks are like peas and carrots, and for NBA 2K11, the producers of the game in cahoots with Jordan Brand developed the most in-depth virtual sneaker collection ever made for a video game. Another special feature about this Giveaway is that there will be two winners – both randomly selected from the pool of eligible entries. Sneaker News is going to hook you up with yet another Sneaker News Giveaway very soon so check back with us for the next freebie – but check out to see if you’ve won this time around!

And the winners of the Sneaker News x NBA 2K11 Giveaway are…

Tweet

Continue Reading