The Sneaker Pimps tour just touched down in the sneakerhead capital of the world; pretty obvious this was destined to be a solid event, innit? The latest iteration of this roaming kicks culture circus rocked Irving Plaza and several of the city’s luminary sneakerheads were on hand. Street artist and collabo-OG Stash was in the building putting some of his handiwork up on a pristine wall, while rappers like Stalley, Kendrick Lamar and Jim Jones handled the mic and kept the room moving. Check out a ton of images after the jump and let us know who stands out the most.
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At this point we’ve had a few fleeting glances of the Air Jordan 2012, but keep in mind that the book isn’t quite closed year on this year’s premier Jumpman release. More so than ever before, Jordan Brand has offered up a deep batch of sneakers splintering off from the core legacy release. One such sneaker is the Air Jordan 2011 A-Flight, a high performance piece that should fit your hooping needs. With four colorways dropping this month there’s no shortage of choices, from few quiet looks like the black pair and the cool grey version to the more off the wall urban camo/orange combo. Get the full look at all of them after the jump and let us know which ones you’ll be picking up.
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We’re not sure exactly who out in Beaverton is responsible for the huge resurgence of retro trainers as of late, but we’d certainly like to shake their hands. The Nike Air Trainer SC II High returned in OG form earlier this year, the Nike Air Speed Turf Max is coming back next summer, and right now we enjoying a sweet set of releases for the Nike Air Trainer ’96. This oft-overlooked piece of 90′s history feature the all important bubbly sole, along with a higher hitting silhouette that was characteristic of trainers at the time. Check out the extra pics of this new colorway below and hit up West NYC to grab your pair now.
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If you managed to see this article just as it’s being published, then you have just about the right amount of time to watch The Empire Strikes Back on your way to Michigan’s top sneaker source. You’d best fast forward through the opening story scroll and make similar haste to Premier if you’re looking to cop a pair of the Nike SB Dunk High Premium ‘Tauntaun’. These Quickstrike Dunk High SBs inspired by the ice planet Hoth’s beasts of burden feature a nappy suede combination of Medium and Cool Greys plus Smoke on the Swooshes. You’ll see plenty more pictures of them after the jump; do you plan to ride over to your local SB store to reign in a pair?
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The name ‘switchback’ comes from the original Swithcback Railway at Coney Island that opened in 1884 as America’s first real roller coaster. How ‘real’ it really was depends on your perspective, as the ride got its name from the fact that the linear track required empty cars to be pulled back to their starting point after a white-knuckle 6mph ride. So while the Vans California Switchback has a considerably more modern feel than anything from the 19th century, they do indeed have the kind of timeless style that could keep these in the Off the Wall rotation for years to come. The same can also be said of your personal collection, these new duckboot-leaning water-resistant pairs offering the promise of warm and dry feet despite your environment. Peruse more angles on the latest boot-inspired sneakers from Vans after the jump and look for them at select retailers like DQM.
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Halloween in mid-November? Anything’s possible at Foot Locker’s House of Hoops, where a concept catering to hardcore basketball fans and sneakerheads has now expanded to most of the largest US cities. The latest HoH exclusive will have you remembering all the fun you had dressing up in costumes in late October, this new black and Max Orange Nike Zoom Rookie about as close as the Air Penny super-hybrid can get to a jack-o-lantern. They’ll light up the morning as malls across the country open when “Kicksmas comes early” to all House of Hoops locations right around the time the early bird lap-walking crew calls it a day.
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The endless supply of packs from the fine folks at Supra have done a good job making sure fans of the crown brand have no shortage of choices for both color combos and materials. The Supra Wet Pack lands in the latter category, dropping a trio of sneakers that boast Neoprene construction with the SUPRATUF technology finish. The resulting footwear should keep your feet anything but ‘wet’, but you get the point. The colorway actually matches well with the gloomy weather that you’re trying to avoid, with a cloudy palette of greys that gets some blue treatment here and there. The drop includes a Supra Dixon, Supra Skytop, and Supra Society-all of which can be seen in greater detail after the jump.
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If Jason Petrie wasn’t designing LeBron’s sneakers for Nike, there’s a good chance he’d be on a computer somewhere surfing the sneaker sites for a look at the latest kicks, just like you. As a matter of fact, Jason is still doing that anyway, because unlike many of his trailblazing design predecessors at Nike, he has grown up living and breathing not only design, but also the history and culture surrounding the sneaker game. When Bruce Kilgore was drafting up the Air Force 1 and Tinker Hatfield was designing just about every other classic Nike shoe you love, there really was no tangible sneaker culture, no such word as “sneakerhead” and nowhere near the exchange of information that we see today in the internet age. Those pioneers created shoes that attracted a ravenous fanbase of Swoosh-crazed consumers, and as a result, paved the way for a new wave of creative forces that are now rising to prominence in the sneaker industry. Jason Petrie is one of the leaders of this bold new generation of Nike designers, equipped with not only the necessary technical skills, but just as important, an understanding of the game and an impassioned reverence for the sneaker masterpieces that came before them. Shoes for the people, by the people.
Petrie approaches his work with his finger firmly on the pulse and a humble appreciation for those who spend their hard earned money on the shoes that he brings to life. As lead designer for the Nike LeBron line, he has been entrusted with one of the brand’s hottest commodities and no one takes that responsibility more seriously. With two huge hits under his belt with the LeBron 7 and 8, the pressure is only getting greater every time he sits down to develop the next shoe. As with the previous two, the LeBron 9 was not immediately embraced by the always scrutinous sneaker community, but just like with the others, it didn’t seem to take long for people to come around. We recently sat down with Jason to chat about the NBA lockout, South Beach resale prices and of course, the Nike LeBron 9. Keep reading for the full interview, featuring some juicy LeBron 9 sample pics and some interesting insight into why the LeBron 9 is designed like an odd number and how early versions of the shoe featured Foamposite on the upper!
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