Month: January 2018

Supreme & The Air Force 1: A Collaborative History

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When you think of something that’s quintessentially New York, what comes to your mind? Taxicabs? The subway? Bagels? Dollar slices? Pigeons? The classic navy-and-white Yankees cap? There’s many things in New York that have become larger than what they physically are, and over time have come to represent the ethos and spirit of the city. What comes to mind for us when we think of New York? Air Force 1’s and Supreme.

Why? Both have a rich history with the city: the Air Force 1 has been a New York style mainstay since its inception in 1982, coming to be affectionately known as the “Uptowns” due to its popularity in the uptown neighborhoods of the city, most notably Harlem where they grew into the cultural juggernaut that they are today. Supreme was established on Lafayette Street in Soho circa 1994, and his since grown to become one of the biggest and most influential brands in the world of fashion. read more


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The 2018 Street Culture Grammy Awards

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Planning on watching the Grammys tonight? We’re not, even though we do enjoy some of the yearly hijinks that are bound to occur. We’d rather just give our own awards instead.

With a panel full of old, out-of-touch voters who don’t understand what’s really relevant in music today, the Grammys are usually more rigged than a championship boxing match. Who can forget Macklemore beating out Kendrick Lamar for “Best New Artist” and then publicly apologizing for a win that he didn’t deserve in 2014? You’d probably prefer not to recollect Eminem winning “Best Rap Album” for “Recovery,” a putrid, convoluted mess of an album in 2010. Yes, the Grammys are hot garbage. read more


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An Air Affair: Ranking 2018’s Air Max Day Releases

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Every year sneakerheads around the world eagerly anticipate the arrival of March 26th, and not because it’s Puma founder Rudi Dassler’s birthday. No, the 85th day of the year is all about the Swoosh: March 26th is Air Max Day, Nike’s yearly celebration of their most iconic technology.

And the lead-up to Air Max Day is almost as good (if not actually even better) than the day itself. In the weeks and months prior, Nike typically pulls out all the stops to build hype for Air Max Day with marketing, storytelling, and great releases like 2017’s “Anniversary”, “Master” and “Atmos” Air Max 1’s, and the now-iconic Vapormax. read more


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Behind The Brand: Proper Gang

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“Fashions come and go, style is all day.”

Wise words. You can spend your whole life chasing fashion, or you can let your personal style come to you. There’s bound to be a period of trial and error, but once you get through it you’ll establish your own signature look. Establishing that signature look is what Proper Gang, the label we’re shining a spotlight on in this edition of Behind The Brand is all about. The quote? It’s from brand founder Max Vanderwoude Gross, a man of many hats who aside from his role as founder/creative director of Proper Gang is also the current design lead at Supreme. read more


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Kim Jones To Burberry? It’s Inevitable.

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Kim Jones is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the world of fashion today. During his 7-year tenure as Men’s Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton, Jones has fused the worlds of streetwear and high fashion together in a way that the other heads of legendary fashion houses or founders of streetwear brands can only dream of. From a cult classic collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment, to the heavy streetwear influence in LV’s collections with pieces like bomber jackets, souvenir jackets and all-over prints being sent down the runway and last year’s extensive, culture-shifting Supreme collaboration, Kim Jones undoubtedly has his finger on the pulse of cool. read more


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The Art Of The Deal: How To Cop Jawns On Grailed

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Grailed: the internet’s foremost purveyor of aftermarket streetwear and menswear. Looking for some vintage Raf Simons? Missed out on Supreme’s recent drop and willing to bite the bullet for the piece you want? Need a well-worn pair of boots so you don’t have to break them in yourself? You can find all of those things plus thousands of other pieces in Grailed’s endless tome of listings.

If you’re not already familiar with Grailed, it’s “sexy eBay”, in the words of Grailed branding director and former Four Pins (R.I.P.) editor Lawrence Schlossman. The site is entirely composed of men’s clothing, footwear, and accessories both used and new from the most popular and desirable brands in the world today. read more


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The Most Infamous Polo Jacket Of All Time Has Returned

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Polo: one of the most ubiquitous brands in the world today. Since its humble beginnings with founder Ralph Lauren (then Ralph Lifshitz) making ties by hand in 1967, the lifestyle brand with the iconic horse and rider logo has grown to become a worldwide phenomenon. Establishing deep roots in many different subcultures and with many different sects of people, Polo is unquestionably on the shortlist of the greatest American brands of all time. From clothes to home goods to cologne, they do it all, and few others can do it at their level. read more


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Will Nike Shox Bounce Back To Prominence In 2018?

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Nike Shox: a sneaker technology that’s lived many lives.

Originally designed by Bruce Killgore, the luminary behind the Air Force I and the Air Jordan II and Sergio Lozano, the mastermind responsible for the Air Max 95, Nike Shox burst onto the scene with a tremendous amount of momentum in 2000. There was nothing quite like them. Their iconic foam columns made you feel as if you could run at the speed of light (thanks to Nike’s great advertising) and jump tall buildings in a single bound (thanks to Vince Carter’s iconic dunk in the 2000 Olympics). read more


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Maximum Air: The Definitive Ranking Of Every Vapormax Silhouette

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We love the Nike Vapormax here at KicksOneTwo.

Widely regarded as one of the best Nike silhouettes of 2017, the Vapormax took the premium running market by storm early in the year, wrestling away coveted top dog status from the played-out Adidas Ultra Boost (we’d like to mention: we called the Vapormax’s success early on). From its space-age Flyknit upper to the unique full-length Air Max sole, from clean general release colorways to sought-after collaborative releases with Comme Des Garcons, CLOT, and Virgil Abloh, it’s not a reach in any way, shape, or form to say that the Vapormax lays a strong claim to the “best new shoe of 2017” title, and its momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing down at all in 2018. read more


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Jeremy Scott and Adidas: A Whimsical Collaborative History

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What comes to mind when you think of fashion? Do you think of clothes and shoes as a way to express yourself? Would you consider a unique, finely-crafted piece a work of art? Do you think clothes can be a whimsical way to shock and delight the world, turning heads wherever you go? If the answer to any or all of those three questions was “yes”, then you already know about Jeremy Scott, the fabled American designer.

Born in Kansas City, MO, Jeremy Scott is known and loved around the world for his capricious designs, toying with fabrics, patterns, graphics, sizing and loud, bright colors. He runs his own eponymous label, and is also the longtime creative director of legendary Italian fashion house Moschino. He’s been known to cause controversy and open dialogue with his designs, and has a knack for pushing the boundaries of fashion, making the seemingly impossible very possible. read more


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