Month: February 2022

Nike continues its 2022 high-top rollout with official photos of the Dunk High “Ring Bling” colorway, dropping later this spring.The “Ring Bling” colorway features a white pebbled leather upper accented by a washed grey leather overlay topstitched throughout the mudguard, eyestays and outer heel. A metallic teal Swoosh seamlessly complements the pop of teal at the embroidered logo, tongue and insole.The metallic accents continue Nike’s use of 3M technology, a reflective material that famously dressed the 1990 Air Jordan 5 release and is now ubiquitous with both design and function for stylish noctivagant athletes privy to luminescent kicks. A silver Swoosh deubré is fastened in-between the all-white laces with metallic trim wrapped across the heel counter and tab.The white-and-teal thematic, first introduced in 2021 on the Air Max Plus, saw sculptural striations across the all-white mesh upper, with a similar tumbled leather overlay across the midsole.At the time of writing, an official release date has yet to be announced, but stay tuned for a proper drop update. For now, head over to Nike’s home website to see the latest of its Air Max lineup.Elsewhere in the sneaker kingdom, Nike’s OG Air Zoom Flight 95 makes a triumphant return in a “Black Metallic” body.

Vans has wasted no time in the new year to kick its collaborations category into high gear as it has racked up projects with the likes of Notre, SNEEZE and Palace. And for the month of February, the skate brand is beefing up its portfolio via a partnership with artist Ade Okuboyejo: the Dobale “Forever Sunny in Ikoyi” footwear and apparel collection. Through this assemblage, the Nigeran-American creative shines a light on his hometown, and expresses the sunny disposition of his home country, color palettes that draw from the rich foods and surrounding land and the Lagos State Flag.”Working with Vans was a seamless process”, Okuboyejo tells HYPEBEAST. “From day one, they believed in my vision in how I see product as a means to tell a story, and they allowed me complete creative freedom to do just that. I was able to tell the story of my beautiful hometown of Lagos through my designs (silhouettes, prints, and colors), as well as through the visuals. Everything you see is me.”On the footwear side, Okuboyejo delivers vivid takes of the Slip-On VLT LX, Era VLT LX and the Bold NI — three of the Anaheim skate imprint’s staple silhouettes. To go along with the footwear, eight apparel pieces are included in the collection, all of which are styled with colorful schemes and graphic prints inspired by African hand-painted signs and local iconography.”They are all my favorite because they tell the story of Ikoyi, but if I have to pick two pieces that are most inspired by my personal style, it would be the Ikoyi Bold Ni sneaker and the Efo Woven Camp shirt”, he says when speaking on his favored items. “The Bold Ni has always been a favorite sneaker of mine because it is a true classic. Taking this staple and adding colors inspired by the Lagos flag capture the essence of the entire collection. The silhouette of the Efo Woven Shirt has been my spring go-to the past couple of years, so it was a no-brainier adding one to the collection. The abstract camouflage print is inspired by the traditional Efo riro spinach stew.”Peep a closer look at the full range above, and note that the Vault by Vans x Dobale “Forever Sunny in Ikoyi” collection is launching on February 12 via select Vault by Vans retailers. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Dobale (@dobale)In other news, Vans recently announced a Skate Half Cab ’92 release.

Back in the 90s’s, sneakers weren’t as readily available in every corner of the globe like they are today. Before the boom of technology, social media, resell culture and everything in between, the most coveted releases weren’t as widely distributed, and there were times where only certain regions like Japan would receive certain launches. In today’s world, boutiques like Union — which are founded upon a deep-rooted love for streetwear and sneakers — are currently running with the torch to celebrate its love for the culture via special releases, and the upcoming Union x Nike Dunk Low “Passport Pack” does just that.The retailer confirms that its newest travel-inspired Dunk Low project with Nike is a love letter to New York City, Los Angeles and Tokyo — three cities where Union has flagship stores. The shoes are designed to encourage you to get out and get what’s yours as they are symbolic of global exploration, cultural inspiration and personal evolution.The “Pistachio” colorway will be the first of the trio to hit the shelves and will be dropping as a Union exclusive on February 11. A wider release for the other two renditions is slated to arrive in March. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Union Los Angeles (@unionlosangeles)Elsewhere in the world of footwear, detailed images of the Social Status x Nike Air Max Penny 1 have popped up.