Month: September 2021

Will Smith, Donovan Mitchell, and Bel-Air Athletics have teamed up to produce a three-piece “Prep School” footwear collection atop adidas D.O.N Issue #3. This three-way team-up is crafted to celebrate Smith and Mitchell’s partnership with Genies — an avatar technology company — who recently unveiled their virtual identities.Each iteration of the Utah Jazz superstar’s signature silhouette is inspired by Mitchell’s journey through prep school and ushers in playful patterns and colors that are inspired by certain outfits that Will Smith rocked in the iconic American sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The most wildly styled installment of the bunch bears a navy blue and red upper, and comes orchestrated with all-over paisley and floral patterns that mimic the look of Smith’s prep school uniform blazer. “Bel-Air” is written over the middle of the throat and the tongues split between the Louisville alumnus’ spider logo on the right shoe and a school-inspired crest on the left.The second offering essentially sticks to this same motif, but utilizes the aforementioned patterns more sparingly across the heels and curvy overlays on the midsoles. It also comes prepared with white midsole pieces and treading. The final option in this range deviates by taking on a black and yellow motif to impersonate the Bel-Air academy’s basketball uniforms. Zebra-esque stripes adorn the midsole component’s wavy overlay for added flair.“Will and Donovan are two of the most creative, expressive and defiant icons out there – both in their own right – and our alignment with their alien-alpha mentality is an indicator for great things to come as we trek into web3.0,” says Jake Becker, Head of Talent Relations at Genies. “Everything that this collab stands for; self-expression and authenticity that transcends social boundaries and norms, is all we care about when it comes to virtual identity in the metaverse.”The all-over patterned pair is available through adidas right now while the other two colorways are scheduled to drop on September 9. Price is set at $120 USD. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bel-Air Athletics (@belairathletics)For other footwear news, Eric Emanuel and adidas Basketball recently unveiled their “Fundamentals Collection.”

Artist/designer Alexander-John and PUMA have teamed up for a special “G-Tag” take on the Suede. With a midsole dipped in rubber and a graffiti-covered upper, the shoe is a vividly detailed homage to Alexander-John’s artistic journey and a unique reinterpretation of one of PUMA’s most classic models, crafted in celebration of Roc Nation’s Made in America festival.The base for Alexander-John’s design is a standard navy blue Suede, with its upper covered in metallic gold, white and red handstyle tags. Tongues feature a stamped gold badge and a large tag hangs off the lateral eyestays, but the shoe’s most unique detail is its red rubber-dipped midsole, which will distress with wear to reveal a classic white PUMA cupsole underneath. Alexander-John has also noted that the color palette is a representation of the blood, sweat and tears poured into his artistic journey, while the gold embellishments nod to resilience and the rewards reaped from following your dreams. When discussing the inspiration behind the sneaker, Alexander-John was reflective. “The G-Tag Suede story is about my travels through different cities and how the various types of graffiti that I saw inspired me to stay on my path … my train,” he said. “Launching the Made in America version of this design is a full-circle moment for me and a piece of my history as a self-made designer.” Interested parties can purchase the Alexander-John x PUMA Suede “G-Tag” on the PUMA webstore now. Its MSRP is set at $250 USD. For more news on new sneaker releases, be sure to check out the latest installment of HYPEBEAST’s weekly Best Footwear Drops list.