Month: March 2021

Nice Kicks, Amoeba Music and New Balance are celebrating California music store culture and the opening of Amoeba’s new Hollywood location with a collection of shoes and apparel. Centered around two iterations of the ever-popular 992, the collection uses Amoeba’s signature bright colors and retro-infused branding to highlight its significance to the Sunshine State — and also pay homage to the parallels between Nice Kicks and Amoeba, two businesses that have outposts in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.Each 992 interprets the Amoeba look in singular fashion. The first pair mixes two of NB’s signature gray shades on the midfoot and heel before giving way to a bright yellow toebox. Touches of yellow and mint green are scattered through the rest of the shoe, and a bubble-lettered “Peace” hit replaces the New Balance branding on the left shoe’s heel. Mint green laces tie everything together. The second pair opts for a darker look, melding a black midfoot with a mint green forefoot and tan rear. “Peace” branding returns on the heel, and the entire assemblage is secured with red laces. Both pairs are finalized by a two-tone midsole stuffed with New Balance’s signature ABZORB cushioning.Apparel makes use of Amoeba’s signature slime logo, splattering it across hoodies, tees and shorts, all of which are presented in colors that match the shoes. There’s also graphics that nod to the store’s familiar signage, like the “Highest $ Paid” neon sign above the trade-in counter or a bubble-lettered “Peace Through Music” hit.The Nice Kicks x Amoeba Music x New Balance 992s and matching apparel are set to release via the Nice Kicks webstore on April 2, the day after Amoeba’s new Hollywood location opens. Shoes are priced at $240 USD and the apparel ranges from $33-$70 USD.For more info on upcoming sneaker releases, check out the latest installment of HYPEBEAST’s weekly Best Footwear Drops list.

Matthew M Williams’ tenure at Givenchy is off to a noteworthy start, thanks to his buzzy SS21 campaign, high-tech SS21 collection, and now his first ever sneaker with the Italian house: the Giv 1. Blending sporty style with high-end luxury and a steep price tag, the Giv 1 shows Williams’ knack for mixing streetwise flair with longstanding house codes.Three colorways have been made available: off-white with black accents and a neon green midsole, black with the same neon green midsole and an all black croc-printed style. The first two colorways use a mesh upper with leather accents while the latter boasts a full leather build, but all three feature details like swooping midfoot lines, dual heel tabs and an interesting two-piece mudguard. Branding is mostly kept to a minimum as well, only appearing via an embroidered Givenchy 4G emblem on the tongue and a small Givenchy text spellout on the toe cap. Each is completed by a special outsole with a traction pattern that mimics the 4G tongue logo.The Givenchy Giv 1 is available on the brand’s webstore now, and each pair is priced at $975 USD. For more from the world of high fashion footwear, check out Raf Simons’ new (RUNNER) Cylon-21 sneaker.

Air Max Day 2021 is just around the corner, and in its usual form, Nike is pulling out the big guns to celebrate its yearly anniversary. This year sees the return of the Nike Air Max 90 “Bacon,” bringing back Dave Ortiz of Dave’s Quality Meats’ iconic 2004 pair that now sees its first retro in 17 years. In honor of the shoe, Sevenstore has created a very apt editorial that spotlights the “Bacon” in all its glory, all while looking deeper into its roots.Starting outside Anthony & Son Panini Shoppe — the Brooklyn-based institution that has served sandwiches and NYC deli favorites since 1994 from its 433 Graham Ave. base — Sevenstore takes us on a visual journey centered around the best bacon, egg and cheese sandwich there is. While notes on how to prepare the recipe appear and the process of the sandwich being made flickers throughout the editorial, there’s always a Nike Air Max 90 “Bacon” taking center stage in the photoshoot.While you’ve probably heard it’s bad luck to put new shoes on the table, no one ever said you can’t put them on the worktops of a service station. Here we get a closer look at the “Bacon,” showcasing its “Sail” and “Straw”-based upper that’s decorated with deep red hues and touches of pink on areas such as the leather Swoosh.Elsewhere around the shoe, we find brown on the eyestays, midfoot window, tongue tag and heel badge, while a two-tone brown and ash-tan midsole rounds out the pair, with the former element housing a pink-tinted Air Max window.Take a look at Sevenstore’s Nike Air Max 90 “Bacon” editorial in the shoot and video above, and head over to Sevenstore’s website to sign up to its raffle, which ends on March 26 at 8 a.m. GMT (4 a.m. ET). The AM90 “Bacon” retails for $195 USD.For more big sneaker drops this week, here are the ones you mustn’t miss.