July 2021 - Page 57 of 63 - Sneaks & Kicks Footwear

Nike Honors Indigenous Culture and Craft in New N7 Collection

July 3, 2021

Inspired by traditions from Indigenous lands of prominent athletes like Lyle Thompson, Lauren Schad and Kyrie Irving, Nike has released the new N7 Collection. Through footwear and apparel driven by the artistic traditions that come from the lands of Onondaga Nation to Cheyenne River Lakota Nation and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Nike pays tribute to the athletes’ roots. Featuring thoughtful colors and materials to honor Indigenous cultures and craft, learn about the meaning behind the N7 Collection. With a wide range of apparel and footwear, the Nike N7 Collection is designed to honor and embody the values, stories and diversity of Indigenous traditions and craft. Special regalia and ancestral artwork from each athlete’s Tribal Nation is incorporated into the shoes in the N7 Collection. For Thompson, the braided details of the N7 Nike Dunk Low pay homage to traditional hairstyles worn by the athlete and his brothers. The purple colorway is also a reference to the national flag of the Iroquois Confederacy. The N7 Nike Air Zoom Type has a colorway inspired by the medicine wheel– a Lakota cultural symbol representing balance and the four directions– and intricate porcupine quill art from Lauren Schad’s Tribe, the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation.The N7 Nike Kyrie Low 4 was inspired by a star quilt, a traditional art form of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, that Kyrie Irving was gifted during his naming ceremony. Featuring bright colors and a stitch detail graphic, this shoe is finished with embroidery inspired by hand-crafted techniques. Overall, the three footwear silhouettes include important personal design touches that relate to each athlete’s identity.Throughout the N7 collection, the raw, neutral colors reflect the natural landscapes of Indigenous nations. The apparel in the N7 Collection adds an elemental connection to the land and respect to Indigenous traditions. Inside the clothing, a tag inspired by the colors of the medicine wheel reaffirms Nike’s commitment to supporting Indigenous youth.The N7 Collection is now available in the U.S. and Canada at select Nike and Hibbett Sports retail locations and on Nike’s website.

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Official Images of the FTC x Nike SB Dunk Low

July 3, 2021

San Fransisco-based skate shop FTC and Nike’s Nike SB sub-division have a collaborative relationship that stretches back almost a decade, and they’ve joined forces for a new take on the SB Dunk Low. Part of Nike SB’s expansive Tokyo Olympic Games SB Dunk collection, FTC’s latest is inspired by Tokyo’s famous bath houses and boasts plenty of lush, relaxing detailing.Toeboxes, quarters and collars take on a bright blue suede, while mudguards, eyestays and heels equip a white leather with a tile-like texture for a nod to the tile floors found at many a bathhouse. Swooshes are done up in bright metallic silver, and blue FTC hits replace the standard Nike branding on the yellow heel tabs. The collar lining is made of a terry cloth-like material and is done up in yellow to match the heel tabs. Tongue tags are highly detailed as well, with each inner half showing Japanese kanji and the front supplying a co-branded SB/FTC graphic. Each tongue is made of blue mesh that’s rimmed with yellow trim, and insoles take on a graphic that shows Mt. Fuji at sunrise and sunset. Down below, white midsoles work with icy blue outsoles to finalize the look. This marks FTC’s fourth Nike SB collaboration, following SB FC Classics and SB Blazers in 2017 plus a SB Dunk Low “Finally” in 2013.The FTC x Nike SB Dunk Low will release later in July via the Nike webstore and SB stockists like The Berrics Canteen, but an exact date of arrival has yet to be announced. MSRP is set at $100 USD.Looking for more footwear news? Check out the HYPEBEAST team’s favorite kicks of 2021 so far.

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Jordan Brand’s 2021 Quai 54 Collection Nods to France’s Diverse Basketball Culture

July 3, 2021

After 2020’s Quai 54 tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19, Jordan Brand and the famed Parisian basketball organization are back in a big way with their 2021 collection. Nodding to the diversity of France’s basketball culture, the offerings include new takes on the Air Jordan 5, the Air Jordan 1 Low and the Air Jordan 35 Low plus a full capsule of apparel, all of which make use of Quai 54’s stylized geometric logo. With the Tokyo Olympic Games on the horizon, the Jumpman has also created uniforms for the men’s and women’s French national basketball teams. Red, white and black are the collection’s primary colors, covering footwear and apparel alike. Each Quai 54 x Jordan Brand collection is centered around its own unique pattern as well, so this year’s collection draws from Paris’ West African community. “This year, we created a Quai 54 graphic motif inspired by traditional West African fabric patterns,” says Thibaut de Longeville, co-founder of Quai 54. “We wanted to modernize the look, add some Parisian flair, and ultimately match the energy of the event and its incredible community.”France’s national team uniforms use the colors of the country’s flag — blue, white and red — and are accompanied by their own apparel collection. “Playing for our country under the legacy of Jordan Brand is special,” says Marine Johannès, guard for the French Women’s National Team. “We can’t wait to wear the new jersey and let the colors of France shine.”Jordan Brand’s 2021 Quai 54 collection will release via the Nike Paris House of Innovation on July 8, then hit the Nike webstore globally come July 10. The French national team’s jerseys will release on July 3.For more footwear news, take a look at the sneakers that the HYPEBEAST team has been enjoying the most over the first half of 2021.

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