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Blog pass 12/16

Holiday Sneaker Release Guide

This Christmas, Nike and Jordan Brand are putting out the heat! The releases beging with a black "Stealth" Foamposite, the Jordan Retro 11 Bred, and finally the Nike Basketball Christmas pack, which was featured last week.

To start off the releases, the Nike Foamposite One will release on Friday the 14th of December in an all-black colorway. The shoe features a black foamposite upper, with a black nubuck style on the upper. The have a grey swoosh on the toebox and a few hints of grey on the penny logo located on the heel tab. To finish off the shoes these have an icy outsole. The retail price is $220 and I may purchase them.

Next, Jordan Brand is dishing out a classic sneaker that Michael Jordan debuted in the 1995-1996 NBA season. The Jordan 11 Retro returns with its all black mesh and patent upper. The shoe features a white foam midsole and an icy red outsole. These sneakers release on Friday the 21st of December and are most likely going to be this years quickest sellout. Retail price is $185 and I will certainly buy these.

Finally, the Nike Basketball Pack will release on Christmas Eve. The sneakers are a Kevin Durant Sneaker featured after a video game which retails for $115 which I really am into. There is a $180 LeBron in a traditional red and green colorway which I think is plain and the price tag isn't justified. Finally there is the Kobe Stained Glass which retails for around 150. It features a vibrant multi-color upper and is a really nice shoe.

credits:

KD V - JC1992 and http://sneakernews.com/2012/11/26/christmas-nike-kd-v/

LeBron X - Joe Venuto and http://www.nicekicks.com/2012/10/nike-lebron-x-christmas/

Kobe 8 - Fantasy Kicks and http://theshoegame.com/articles/nike-kobe-8-christmas.html

Jordan 11 Retro - http://solecollector.com/news/air-jordan-11-retro-gs-black-varsity-red-white/#axzz2EBMqKijW

Foamposite - http://solecollector.com/news/nike-air-foamposite-one-stealth-blackout/#axzz2EBMqKijW

Nike Basketball Christmas Pack

Every year on Christmas, Nike releases three new christmas themed colorways of their NBA Players signature shoes to the public. Like the last couple of years, the same athletes (Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant) with their own shoe will have a colorway made. They will wear the shoes during their Christmas Day match-ups.

In the past, the athletes have worn colorways that are bold, bright, and fun. This year is no different, Kevin Durant sports a shoe that is themed after an 8bit video game, LeBron James wears a sneaker themed to the traditional christmas colors, and Kobe Bryant has a sneaker themed to the stained glass windows of a church.

First up the KD V, Kevin Durant's sneaker, sports a blue upper with bursts of blue and red pixels on the upper. We are treated to a red tongue with the KD logo on top and the same pixel pattern on the KD logo. On the insoles we have Kevin Durant dunking on a net in the 8bit pixel video game style. The outsole is a bright green, which may or may not glow in the dark because as of now it's unknown.

LeBron James went with a more traditional look this year. His sneaker sports a dark red upper with a bright green swoosh. The tongue is that same shade of red and has a set of bright green laces. We are treated to that same shade of red midsole with black speckles throughout it. Like the KD V the outsole is a bright green and if it glows in the dark or not is unknown. However, by the looks of things to me it looks like it does due to how bright it is in a dark environment. 

Finally, the Kobe VIII has not yet been confirmed or not. However people have been mentioning that the sneaker resembles stained glass windows of a church and therefore many are speculating this is indeed the Kobe 8 Christmas. The sneakers feature a multi-colored upper that resembles stained glass. The upper sits atop a black midsole with bright red speckles that also resembles the shade of red on the laces and swoosh. Like the LeBron and KD, these also have a bright green outsole. It is unknown if it glows or not yet.

credits:

KD V - JC1992 and http://sneakernews.com/2012/11/26/christmas-nike-kd-v/

LeBron X - Joe Venuto and http://www.nicekicks.com/2012/10/nike-lebron-x-christmas/

Kobe 8 - Fantasy Kicks and http://theshoegame.com/articles/nike-kobe-8-christmas.html

DXC Miami 11/17

This weekend, my friends and I went to a sneaker show called Dunk Exchange in Miami. The event was held at the Marlins Stadium. Overall, I would say that it was a great day in Miami and will explain it more in my post.

The Shoes

Instantly when we arrived at the stadium and got into the line there were sneakers everywhere that I had liked. The selection for any collector was great as they offered shoes that were not rare to some pretty exclusive shoes that have less then 100 pairs made. The event also offered sneakers from various varieties such as Nike SB, Nike Basketball, and Jordan.

The Market

At Dunk Exchange, buying shoes is cheaper then normal. You can often pick up shoes for a fraction of the cost. This is due to the fact people need money to buy shoes they want, therefore you can buy for a cheaper price.

My Experience

At Dunk Exchange I had a blast! I picked up two new sneakers. The first being the Lebron 8 South Beach which I ended up selling later for more money. The shoes feature a teal upper, with pink lacing, and a black lining with a black swoosh and accenting. Overall, I really liked the shoes, however I felt as though they were too flashy to wear.

I also bought a pair of Jordan IV or 4, Black Cements/Breds. The sneakers feature a black nubuck upper similar to that on the Cavs 4. I really enjoy this shoe because due to the plain color of black and grey, they can be worn with most outfits. I must say, DXC was a blast and I hope to be able to go again.

KD V iD Spotlight

This week, Nike released the KD IV iD to be designed in custom colorways by customers. The shoe has 8 different parts of the shoe to customize which are the upper, swoosh, lining, outsole, midsole, laces, lace loops, and personal ID. My favorite thing about these are the ability to make certain parts of the shoe glow in the dark, as well as being able to speckle the mid-soles. As I wrote in my blog entry last week the shoe release to stores on December, 8th. Due to the iD however, customers may be able to get their hands on the shoes earlier.

I cooked up 3 iD's and will be displaying them below.

The first of the iD's is a sneaker inspired by the KD IV All Star. The sports an upper in metallic silver, along with and orange swoosh, grey lacing, a midsole in navy with glow in the dark speckles, and to finish it off I added a glow in the dark outsole. I am a fan of the shoe and will be adding one to my collection, hopefully.

The next shoe took inspiration from the Nike Mag. Also known as the Back to the Future Shoes, mine were inspired by the grey upper of the mags and sport a white midsole with blue speckles. They also have a white outsole. I really like the speckled midsole as it add some "pop" to the shoe. Overall, this would be another solid shoe to purchase. Unfortunately, these do not powerlace!

Fianlly, the Retro Grizzlies shoe takes the bright blue and pink hues from the old Grizzlies logo and translates them onto a sneaker silhouette. The shoes and logo share a black base, with hints of blue and pink all around the shoes. Overall, these shoes I like, however black hyperfuse material tends to get dirty easily and that makes my decision to buy a bit harder.

sources: 

http://uncrate.com/p/2011/09/nike-mag-2-xl.jpg

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/medium_grizzlies_feature.gif

http://solecollector.com/media/u/images/nike-zoom-kd-iv-galaxy-all-star-01.jpg

Nike Unveils the KD V

Recently, Nike Basketball unveiled Kevin Durant's 5th signature shoe. The sneaker is a mid top. Unlink the 4, this shoe has more of a performance look and is $115 vs the KD IV which was $95. In my opinion the KD V is not as good looking as the KD IV and the price hike is not justified.

The Technology

• Nike Zoom Airbag in forefoot for superior cushioning and responsiveness.
• A Nike Air Unit in the heel for comfort.
• All hyperfuse upper. Hyperfuse is a plastic material which is durable, however does not have good breathability.
• Heel piece to provide superior ankle support when cutting.

Colorways

So far only two colorways of the shoe are known. The DMV, the Christmas, and the home.

The DMV pays homage to Kevin Durant's hometown of Seat Pleasant, MD. The shoe is inspired by colors of the states flag. Personally, the shoe has potential but the green doesn't match well with the red upper. They'll be releasing on the 8th of December.

The Away colorway pays homage to Kevin Durant's NBA team the Oklahoma City Thunder. The shoe is inspired by the teams colors. It has a black upper with a blue swoosh and hints of orange thru out the shoe. I will not be picking these up either. They, like the DMV's will release 12/8.

sources:

http://nikeinc.com/news/nike-unveils-the-kd-v

http://www.nicekicks.com/2012/10/nike-zoom-kd-v-away/

Nike x Doernbecher Reveal

Every year during the fall, Nike collaborates with the Doernbecher hospital and releases six new colorways on various sneakers designed by patients at the hospital. The series started 9 years ago and still produces sneakers that instantly sell out. In this entry I will be displaying 3 models and what I enjoy about them.

First up, the Jordan 9 DB was designed by patient Oswaldo Jimenez. Oswaldo has a disease called severe pulmonary hypertension. Due to this, Oswaldo cannot exert too much energy. Anyways, the shoe takes inspiration from his nickname, little chicken, or pollito on spanish. The shoe has a white upper with a black and gold feather border. The heel has the number 17 on it which is his favorite number. The outer tongue reads pollito on it and inside the tongue it reads his birthdate.

Next up, the Air Force 1 was revealed in a new colorway. The shoe was designed besides Chad Berg, a 15 year old who recently was in a canoe and flipped over. He was in the icy water for nearly 90 minutes before getting help. He was rescued and treated at the hospital. He now lives a normal life. The shoes feature neon green accents with a white and grey upper. The colors were inspired by the University of Oregon, which wears football jerseys similar to that scheme.

Lastly, the Free Run 2, designed by Grant Olsen sports an all blue upper and red heel tab. Grant was 6 when he found out he had leukemia. The shoes feature inspirational things that have kept him happy such as a guitar on the tongue or a photo of the beach on the inside.

8/20 Release Spotlight and Reminder!

Every Friday and Saturday at 8AM EST or 5AM PST sneakerheads sit in front of the computer anxious to pick up the newest shoes on NikeStore.com. I thought I'd show what is releasing this weekend and even share my history of online releases.

Often, I find myself in front of the computer for important releases, typically Jordan Retro's or limited Nike Basketball products. I have never failed to purchase multiple pairs of a sneaker online, however many collectors never can get one pair. The reason is due to 2 reasons. One being the fact that they are not quick enough and the other being the have little experience. Often I am able to pick the shoes up just because I am able to speedily checkout. Other's often lose time on entering in their personal information.

Now onto this week's releases.

First off however, the Nike Zoom Rookie PRM "Galaxy" release was postponed for a second time. The reason being unknown however. Often times Nike will postpone or even cancel a release if the shoe is too hyped up. I think that this was the case with these. Just like with the Air Yeezy 2, these would've made the NikeStore.com server crash.

source: http://www.nikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Nike-Zoom-Rookie-Galaxy-22-e1344927253309.jpg

Now onto the release. First up are the Kobe VII (7) "Invisibility Cloak" re-release. The shoes first released on February 19, 2012. However, I guess Nike decided to put more pair's into production. The sneaker sports an upper with a dark purple that changes shades depending on the light that shines on it. It can go from purple-green. I expect these to sell out instantly just like the original release Cloaks. These release 8.20

source: http://images.sneakernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/nike-zoom-kobe-vii-invisibility-cloak-release-date.jpg

Next up, the Jordan Spiz'ike "Toro Bravo". Sporting an all red upper similar to the one on the Jordan 5 DMP "Toro Bravo" which released in 2009, this Spiz'ike keep's it true to the red. I am not a fan of the shoes and neither are most people. The shoes release 8.20 and I expect them to sit on the website.

source: http://sole-u.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/toro-spizike-4-e1341843772576.jpg

Finally, the last shoe releasing is the Air Force 1 in Blue/Orange. The upper is all navy blue and sports an orange check. The upper sits on a white midsole and orange outsole. Just like the Spiz'ike I expect them to not sell out and am not a fan of the sneaker, mainly due to the small swoosh being on a big shoe. The placement to me is awkward. These release 8.20.

source: http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/chapter-ex/cabinet/nike-4/315123-402-2.jpg?_ex=320x320&s=2&r=1

Nike LeBron X iD Spotlight

This week, I am again not going to be doing a week in review segment. However, I will be spotlighting another sneaker and this week I have chosen the LeBron X iD which released on Tuesday the 9th of October. The sneakers are designed for LeBron James of the Miami Heat and are made by Nike Basketball. The colorways I will be showing to you are made by myself via NikeiD.com and are the standard $220 version without Nike+ Basketball.

The LeBron X comes in 3 versions a Non-Nike+ model (retail: $180, iD: $220), a Nike+ Model without the Nike+ Sport Pack (retail: $200, iD: $240), and a Nike+ Model with the Sport Pack (retail:$270, iD: $310). The difference in pricing of iD and retail is due to the fact that iD are custom made colorways designed specifically for the buyer and not sold in stores. A retail pair is sold in stores such as Champs, Niketown, and Footlocker.

The first colorway I designed took inspiration from the Nike Air Yeezy 2 Platinum (pictured below). The Yeezy 2 featured an all grey snakeskin upper, a bright orange sock liner, and a glow in the dark outsole. My iD LeBron X is designed the same way, minus a glow in the dark outsole.

The second colorway I designed was a simple black upper, with touches of orange and purple. It was inspired by a Phoenix Sun's Jersey (pictured below). I really enjoy this colorway because while being black the bright tones of orange and purple really "pop".

source: http://www.oufaner.com/images/Phoenix%20Suns%20Barkley%20Retro%20Jersey%2034%20Black.jpg

The next colorway of Lebron X iD's were inspired by the Paranorman Foamposite's. Although I could not replicate the electric green flames, I added as much bright neon accents as I could. I also could not replicate the green to the exact shade of green used on the Paranormans. This personally could have been better with a more customizable shoe.