It gets really tiring to look at sneakers everyday on the Internet. Everything tends to look the same after awhile and very few shoes catch your eye or stand out. Dozens of new shoes are previewed by brands, retailers, celebrities, and leakers on a daily basis, and there's more product on the market than anyone could ever consume. But every so often, there are a couple shoes that stick out in the best way possible; leather, suede, and rubber gems amongst a pile of indistinguishable footwear. This week, there were three sneakers (or collections) that treaded above the rest.
Ronnie Fieg x New Balance 997.5 (pictured above)
Ronnie Fieg was able to build the success of his retail store and clothing brand, Kith, through the strength of his sneaker collaborations with brands such as ASICS and New Balance. In recent times, Fieg has pulled back slightly on the exclusive footwear to focus on expanding his apparel line, which just had its first fashion show this week. One of the most pleasant surprises from the presentation was the unveiling of a handful of projects between Fieg and several footwear brands, including New Balance, Adidas, ASICS and A Bathing Ape. A few of the shoes are a sign of what's to come for the world of collaborative sneakers, while others are throwbacks to the work Fieg became known for in past years. And, for what it's worth, the best pair is an orange, tan, and turquoises rendition of the New Balance 997.5. The quality, likely, will be insane on them, and the colorway is new and fresh without doing too much -- exactly what people look for in sneaker collabs. And Ronnie Fieg nailed it once again.
Air Jordan 1 "Alternate Shattered Backboard"
The "Shattered Backboard" version of the Air Jordan 1 has some of the best quality that's been seen on any Air Jordan sneaker in recent years. The colorway was OK, but it's the supple leather that made the shoe sought-after by footwear nerds. Jordan Brand decided to go with the same color scheme behind the "Shattered Backboard" but flip it around a bit, making it more in line with the original "Chicago" colorway of the shoe. The leather looks to be the same as the initial release, and they were spotted on the feet of Carmelo Anthony. Personally, as many people know, I'm not the biggest Air Jordan guy myself, but a good shoe is a good shoe, and these are definitely that.
Adidas Ultra Boost "CNY"
The Adidas Ultra Boost just can't die. No matter how many versions the brand makes of the shoe, they continue to sell and people still want them. The latest version to get a preview on the Internet is what is being called a "Chinese New Year" (or is it "New York City"?) version of the shoe. The dispute comes from the "CNY" (or "NYC") that's on the tongue of the shoes and the fact that Adidas hasn't put out any official information on the sneaker yet. What makes these sneakers worthwhile isn't just the tag on the tongue or that they're another Ultra Boost, but it's the firework-like pattern that runs through the shoe, which points to it being more of a Chinese New Year shoe, rather than something for NYC. Either way, expect them to be the Ultra Boost that folks go crazy over.
Supreme x Nike SB Blazer Low GT
Supreme and Nike can really do no wrong with their sneaker collaborations. They've created some of the best and most culture-defining shoes together over the past 14 years, and the latest project between the two came out of nowhere, this time opting to work on the SB Blazer Low GT. The shoes came in three colors: wheat, red, and mint, and the latter was the best out of the trio. Besides the suede upper and gum sole on the shoes, the best detail was the "FTW" on the back, which, most likely, stands for "Fuck the World." The sneakers were announced this week and released (and sold out) yesterday. Those who got their hands on a pair have something special.
