After last night’s defensive duel between Michigan and UConn, March Madness has officially come to a close and the NBA Playoffs are nearing. As we transition from one to the other, footwear brands are gearing up for another week loaded with launches. Salomon, Nike, New Balance, and adidas are all scheduled to be getting in on the action this week. Before we walk you through the 10 most notable drops to come, let’s look back at which sneaker headlines drew our attention this past week.Starting out with the latest features, we inspected GOAT’s new Sneakers.com website, evaluating its discount-driven offerings. We also connected with Simone Bellotti to discuss Jil Sander’s PUMA K-Street collaboration, touching on the historical impact of the two brands’ partnership.As for the standard slate, Nike had its worst single-day stock drop on record as the brand continues its pivot from direct-to-consumer back to wholesale. In more exciting news, a LEGO x Nike Air Max 95 “Brick Pixel” was teased. We also discussed the rollout of Tom Sachs’ NikeCraft General Purpose Shoe “Bricolage.”Elsewhere in the industry, Rui Hachimura has his own version of the Air Jordan 40 “4028” on the way, featuring sashiko-inspired embroidery. Speaking of the Japanese technique, it was included in FDMTL’s new Vans preview, which notably featured several Tabi sneakers in its presentation. Rounding things out, Joe Freshgoods teased an upcoming New Balance 1890 collaboration.Now that you’re caught up on the latest from the space, let’s look ahead at what’s to come, starting with another L’Art de l’Automobile x Salomon project. After you work your way through the list, be sure to check out which pairs are available today at HBX.L’Art de l’Automobile x Salomon S/LAB Phantasm 3 & ACS ProRelease Date: April 8Release Price: TBCWhere to Buy: L’Art de l’AutomobileWhy You Should Cop: Arthur Kar’s L’Art de l’Automobile is back with another Salomon collaboration this week. Taking on the S/LAB Phantasm 3 and ACS Pro, the duo has equipped both with dynamic colorways that are high-impact upon first sight. For the S/LAB Phantasm 3, its unique build is geared for road runners. The ACS Pro bridges performance and lifestyle with its fashion-forward construction. The common thread that weaves between the two is the “42” motif that nods to the 42-kilometer distance of a marathon.Melitta Baumeister x Nike Vomero Premium & Pegasus PremiumRelease Date: April 8Release Price: $230 USD to $240 USDWhere to Buy: SNKRSWhy You Should Cop: In case you missed out on last week’s launch of Melitta Baumeister’s Nike Running kicks, they’re landing on the SNKRS platform on Wednesday. An orange Vomero Premium is accompanied by a “Volt”-colored Pegasus Premium, with both nodding to the new duo. Baumeister’s eye motif, which depicts her own eye, is scattered across both of the weathered pairs.JJJJound x New Balance 475Release Date: April 9Release Price: $120 USDWhere to Buy: JJJJoundWhy You Should Cop: JJJJound and New Balance are back again, this time taking on the 475 sneaker for one of the duo’s least expensive projects to date. Presented in a two-pack of black and yellow, both pairs embrace a mixed material build of mesh and suede. Underfoot, ENCAP stability rounds out the technical specifications. Both pairs feature minimalist looks that nod to JJJJound at the heel tab, footbed, and special shoe box.Nike Air Force 1 Low “Patent Leather” PackRelease Date: April 9Release Price: $120 USDWhere to Buy: SNKRSWhy You Should Cop: Lil Yachty brought patent leather Nike Air Force 1s back with his various Concrete Boys colorways. Capitalizing on this, the Swoosh has prepared a few similar flavors as in-line launches. This week’s “Patent Leather” pack begins with a green-on-yellow “Topaz Gold” take that fits perfectly in the rotation of fans of Brasil’s national football team. Elsewhere, an orange-on-red pair is accompanied by a purple-on-blue iteration to complete the three-shoe lineup.Palace x Nike Air Max 95Release Date: April 10Release Price: TBCWhere to Buy: Palace SkateboardsWhy You Should Cop: It’s only fitting that Palace would receive a Nike Air Max collaboration. After kicking things off with a “P90” collection last year, the two are back with a new Air Max 95-focused range that sees the sneaker embrace a silver-to-black gradient. Hints of blue chime in throughout the shoe as subtle nods to the UK skate brand are included as well.Hellstar x adidas Superstar II “Hazy Orange”Release Date: April 10Release Price: $200 USDWhere to Buy: adidasWhy You Should Cop: One of the breakout partnerships of the past six months is Hellstar x adidas. The duo fused the Los Angeles-based brand’s edgy design language with an adidas Originals icon: the Superstar sneaker. Since then, several pairs of kicks have dropped, culminating in this week’s Superstar II “Hazy Orange” colorway. A creamy orange covers the fiery sneaker as Hellstar branding strikes the outsole with pride.Jurassic Park x Nike Ja 3 “Raptor” & “Explorer”Release Date: April 10Release Price: $135 USDWhere to Buy: SNKRSWhy You Should Cop: Ja Morant and Nike Basketball have made one thing clear in recent years: they love a good pun. Following pairs like the Nike Ja 2 “Ja-raffe,” we now have a “Ja-rassic Park” collection. Tapping Jurassic Park for inspiration and branding, Nike Ja 3 “Raptor” and “Explorer” colorways have been crafted. Both lean on the sneaker’s scratch motif, emphasizing it with high-contrast compositions.Pharrell x adidas VIRGINIA Vario Flat EartherRelease Date: April 11Release Price: $140 USDWhere to Buy: adidasWhy You Should Cop: It looks like we jumped the gun last week as Pharrell and adidas’ new VIRGINIA sneaker is actually set to debut this Saturday. Pivoting from the oversized Adistar Jellyfish, the two have created the Vario Flat Earther, which is unique beyond just its eye-catching name. The slim slip-on silhouette is straightforward with its Three Stripes running from the lateral toe to the medial midfoot, starting with green-on-white and black-on-white color schemes.Nike SB Dunk Low “Som Tum”Release Date: April 11Release Price: $130 USDWhere to Buy: Select Skate ShopsWhy You Should Cop: Songkran, aka Thai New Year, kicks off on Monday and the Nike SB team is ready to celebrate with the SB Dunk Low “Som Tum.” Drawing inspiration from the Thai dish that the colorway gets its name from, the upper’s brown paneling nods to hand-woven baskets. Meanwhile, orange accents the piping while silver graces the heel with tonal Thai script present at the heel tabs. Thematic graphics are also present behind the tongue and underneath the sockliner, completing this flavorful presentation.Nike Kobe 11 Elite Protro “Fade To Black” & Kobe 11 Protro “Mamba Day”Release Date: April 13Release Price: $200 USD to $220 USDWhere to Buy: SNKRSWhy You Should Cop: Rounding out this week’s lineup is the return of another silhouette from Kobe Bryant’s signature shoe line with Nike Basketball. The Nike Kobe 11 has been prepared in Protro form in honor of the 10-year anniversary of Bryant’s final NBA game. The pair he wore, the Kobe 11 Elite “Fade To Black,” is back in black-and-gold. A celebratory Kobe 11 Protro “Mamba Day,” which originally released on the NikeiD platform, is also back in its numerology-based look.
