It’s no secret that sneaker culture is a global concept. All over the world, you can find people with a serious passion for kicks and thanks to the new documentary, Open The Box, we get an inside look at what’s going on with the sneaker scene in Germany. The film features interviews with a variety of accomplished German collectors and of course takes a nice look at some of the treasures that they’ve accumulated over the years, including some seriously vintage heat. Unfortunately, the interviews are in German, but luckily, the sneaker images are a universal language that anyone can appreciate. Keep reading for a look at the trailer and keep an eye out for the full-length documentary in 2010, hopefully with some English subtitles. Via Dunkbar.

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While many younger sneakerheads have only known classic Air Jordans as Retros, some of us were actually around for the original releases. Back in 1989, sneaker culture was not even really a concept yet, but many of us were instantly pulled in by those early glory days of Nike and the Air Jordan line. Before there were internet stores, eBay and blogs, you had to be resourceful and actually hunt down your kicks by foot with a lot less options to work with. The term sneakerhead hadn’t even been coined yet, but we were out there drooling over everything that was emerging from the golden Tinker Hatfield era.

Without the world wide web, print media was a go-to source for info on the kicks and players we loved, but without sneaker magazines, it was rare to get a look at some Air Jordans in anything other than Sports Illustrated or the local sneaker store. Many were smart enough to hold onto their OG Jordans, and we see those on the regular, but here is a look at something a little more obscure. Just as he was becoming the NBA’s biggest star, a young Michael Jordan was featured on the cover of the March 1989 GQ Magazine, a testament to Mike’s style and a bold move to feature an athlete on the magazine’s cover.

One veteran sneakerhead had the foresight to jack this from his local library as a kid back in 1989, and was kind enough to share it with us 20 years later. Knowing the Jordan love out there in sneakerland, we figured our readers might appreciate it too. Keep reading to check out some more pics of the MJ cover and article, as well as a look at some vintage Nike and Foot Locker advertisements. Big thanks to CK for the hook-up.

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When photos surfaced last week of the 20th Anniversary of Reebok’s iconic Pump basketball sneaker, many saw the heel release as a new feature.  While old sneakerheads may have realized it was like that back in ‘89, even fewer know how RBK designer Paul Litchfield, whose credits also include Hexalite and ERS cushioning systems, came to the ultimate design.  Take a look at some really interesting photos after the jump, including several wacky prototypes like the one pictured above and a few good looks at exactly how Pumps provide extra support with their internal air bladder.  via SF

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Nike Sportswear has just released a Quickstrike Pack of three Nike Match Classic sneakers. The Match Classic for those of you who are unfamiliar, was one of the first tennis shoes that Nike ever released and was retroed earlier this year when Nike Sporstwear collaborated with Hiroshi Fujiwara of fragment design and Jun Takahashi of UNDERCOVER. These three new colorways do not feature the fragment design and UNDERCOVER graphics wrapped around the midsole but instead they feature a slight vintage treatment. They are available now at various Nike Sportswear retailers including Nos.

Style: 358044-200
Color: Dark Cinder/White-Challenge Red

Style: 358044-600
Color: Varsity Red/White-Varsity Maize

Style: 358044-001
Color: Black/White-Matte Silver

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Sneakerness took over Zurich for its May 2009 show, thrust into the spotlight by two dope Nike Air Force 1s.  One was a custom, the other Bespoke, but neither style paved the way for this month’s meetup in Vienna.  The usual swapmeet stuff dominated the proceedings, but an appearance from Bobbito Garcia and a Nike iD installation added a little something extra.  Speaking of something extra, what the Vienna show lacked in AF1s it made up with a Sneakerness x KangaROOS collaboration.  Check out a ton of photos of the event after the jump.  via SF

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When fall comes and stuff starts to decay in such a beautiful way, it’s a natural time to look toward vintage and subdued fashions that match the changing environment.  With this duo of Nike Vandal Highs, they achieve that old-school look, but we’d hesitate to call them ’subdued’.  A black pair with yellow accents and two shades of purple on the strap isn’t too crazy and definitely has an old school vibe about it, as does the much brighter magenta pair with a metallic silver Swoosh.  Both of them are available now from Schuh-You.

Style: 325317-501
Color: New Magenta/Metallic Silver

Style: 325317-072
Color: Black/Midwest Gold-Sail

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The other pair in this duo of vintage drops had us thinking of the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.  The Sail/Black counterpart to that red pair is less the Wolverine to the reds’ Buckeye and more like the Yankees to their BoSawx.  The Nike Blazer High VNTG is back, using that same tumbled leather in the delicate grey ‘Sail’ shade along with a yellowed sole.  This pair opts for a cooler accent colour, but everything else is the same.  Then again, that’s like saying the Yanks and Sox are just two baseball teams, so you might wanna get both pairs and stage your own ALCS.  These beauties are available now from shaolin8 on eBay.

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It’s not everyday that we get a look at a pair of kicks this old, rare or intriguing. What you are looking at is an early prototype for the Air Jordan 1 that was obviously changed quite a bit before releasing in the final form that we have come to know and love. This prototype sample features a number of glaring differences from the eventual retail version, most notably a significantly higher cut around the ankle, a completely different midsole and outsole and an alternate shape for the mudguard section of the toe as it makes its way up to the lower eyelet holes. Also of interest, you might be wondering about the “BIG JOHN” printing on the heel section of the ankle. Apparently, this sample was made up specially for Nike’s sales manager back in January of 1984, who went by the nickname of, you guessed it, Big John. Keep reading after the jump for a look at some more pics of this incredible sample including some side-by-side comparison shots with the actual OG Air Jordan 1 in the same colorway. Big thanks to zoopreme700 for the pics and the heads-up.

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