Month: January 2022

New Balance has a handful of firm favorites among the sneakerhead community, but none have taken off quite like its 550 silhouette. First seen in 1989, the 550 was revived by the hands of Teddy Santis of Aimé Leon Dore, playing a huge part in NB’s success in 2020 and 2021. Now, the pair is a familiar sight — so to keep things going, the sneaker giant has re-introduced two colorways: “University Blue” and “Varsity Orange.”While these colorways have surfaced before, the drop was rather quiet and was gone before you knew it. Now, Asphalt Gold provides a closer look at the pairs that are set to drop online later today.As expected, the retro Basketball Oxford shape is presented in white to show off its OG shapes and style, complete with a padded “N” emblem on the mid-panel alongside old-school branding on the tongue, “NB” emblems on the rear, and “550” gracing the vamp.Touches of orange or baby blue work areas such as the tongue and liner, heel, sole unit, and the aforementioned branding to highlight the pair’s details. Both draw from traditional basketball themes, notably “UNC” and “Syracuse,” and they can be seen in better detail above.Asphalt Gold will be dropping them later today online and in-store for €129 EUR apiece (approximately $145 USD).In other news, AURALEE has reworked the New Balance XC-72 for FW22.

Since its inception in 1994, adidas Football’s PREDATOR boot is without a doubt its most recognisable. Famously worn by the likes of David Beckham, Raúl and Steven Gerrard throughout the late ‘90s and early 2000s, the silhouette has undergone a myriad of updates since.From the “Royal Blue” Archival Predator Mania FG in 2020, to the more recent “White Spark” pack towards the end of last year, the PREDATOR remains as sought-after as ever, and now, for the label’s first release of 2022, the brand unveils the latest iteration of the boot in the PREDATOR EDGE.Continuing the perpetual evolution the boot has become renowned for, PREDATOR EDGE introduces ZONE SKIN — a breakthrough innovation supporting swerve, spin and grip — for the very first time. Strategically positioned rubberized ribs engineered into four control zones across the instep and toe box optimize ball manipulation, giving players a powerful edge and the confidence to push the game forward.The newly-developed FACET FRAME on the sole of the boot has been designed to deliver stability and dynamic traction for powerful movement on the pitch, and features a weighted forefoot piece that redistributes weight toward the front of the boot, for optimal power transfer when striking the ball.Realised in a “Hi-Res Blue/Turbo” colorway, the adidas PREDATOR EDGE is available to buy now from the adidas webstore, retailing at approximately $300 USD.In other footwear news, adidas has also unveiled the TOUR360 2022 golf shoe.

Scottish footwear specialist HANON has teamed up with heritage British label Product of Desire for an acid house-inspired design. Taking on the Jagger silhouette, the collaboration looks back to the 1980s and the explosion of rave across the U.K. with parties taking place in abandoned mills and warehouses across the country.These venues give the shoes their “Brick Red” colorway, which covers the suede upper. Dubbed the “Space Biscuit,” the collaborative shoe also references the Acid Rave world through a purple leather lining, a tie dye-style heel window and laminate footbeds that reference graphics, posters and clothing from that era. Lastly, HANON’s flame logo appears on a looped tongue label.The HANON x POD Jagger “Space Biscuit” is available via a raffle on the HANON web store, which closes on January 28.In other footwear news, SNEEZE has linked up with Vans for a Skate Chukka collaboration.