As much as we all love the sneaker game and the culture surrounding it, it’s not all sunshine and roses 100% of the time. Much like any other hobby, there are a few parts that aren’t so enjoyable, and sometimes you’ve gotta gripe about the bad parts of something you love. Here’s three things that aren’t so great in the sneaker game.

People Constantly Talking About Kanye

Sure, we talk about Ye’ a bunch over here at KicksOneTwo. Nothing wrong with that at all. However, it gets annoying when people try to act holier than thou by saying, “Oh, Kanye wore Vans, I suppose you all like Vans now??” Or, “If Kanye wore a sequined shirt and some bell-bottom jeans, I guess that’s what all of you would start wearing too, huh??”

Shut up.

There’s no doubting the man’s heavy influence in the game today, but it seems that the people who “supposedly” hate him the most are the ones always talking about him. Interesting how that works out.

Corniness

In general, there’s just so much corny stuff that goes on in the sneaker world – specifically online. From people posting pictures of giant stacks of money, but proceeding asking for “steals only” to dumb Instagram pictures like stepping on one shoe with another shoe, there is no shortness of corniness going on today.

Inflated Egos

You are not special in any sense of the word if you have enough money to pay resale for all the Yeezys or other expensive shoe your heart could desire. Go ahead, spend those racks on Yeezys. Drop a rent payment on some Jordans. Flaunt all of that as much as you can. That’s fine. We can’t hate on you for having money. Just don’t get it twisted – your money doesn’t make you a better sneaker collector than the kid who can barely afford one pair per month. It’s about what you know and how much you love the culture, not how much you can spend.

So there you have it. Now, shoot us a comment or hit our Twitter and tell us what you’re sick of seeing in the game today. And while you’re at it, be sure to follow us on Instagram for all the fire sneaker pictures you can handle.

The post 3 Things That Aren’t So Great In The Sneaker Game appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

(Via Ronnie Fieg)

Adidas is the hottest brand out there right now. (Word to the homie Jahmade). Kith and Ronnie Fieg, despite rumors of having fell off, are still killing it. (Word to Jahmade, again).

On Thursday, King Ronald himself *in my best Ross Dwyer hypebeast-voice impression* dropped another bomb on IG. This time, coming in the form of a teaser for an upcoming Kith x Adidas collaboration. This Kith x Adidas Tubular Doom, shown above, features an all heathered grey Primeknit upper with black side paneling and heel supports. Kith’s signature “Just Us” slogan is featured prominently on the back heels.

I haven’t owned a pair of Tubular Doom’s yet, so go ahead and slander me all you want. Call me a hypebeast, and tell me all about how I wouldn’t even think about copping these if Ronnie Fieg had nothing to do with them. Some of your points here may be very valid, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to be grabbing this shoe.

From what I’ve heard, the Tubular Doom is just as it looks — extremely comfortable. That Primeknit upper with the sock-like top looks way too comfy to pass up. Plus, this is a shoe that looks really different. It’s definitely not something you see everyday. (But will potentially be seeing everyday as fashion changes). As I try to expand my fashion tastes, and diversify my sneaker collection, this shoe works perfectly for me to achieve both of these goals. And like I’ve stated before, the Kith branding makes this cop just a little bit easier.

So what are your thoughts? Did Ronnie toss up a brick here? Should I be banished from the sneaker game due to my hypebeast ways? Or is this a must-cop for you as well? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

The post Kith x Adidas Tubular Doom = *insert fire emoji’s* appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

“Are you joking, Bob? You JUST got into Stance and Nike Tech Fleece??”

I know, I know. The title of this article is pretty self-explanatory – I been schleep. Despite all of the hype and great reviews surrounding these two items, I just haven’t gotten around to copping either until now. As you can tell, I don’t give into hype easily, (I’m chuckling while writing this), and I stay true to what I know for the most part.

To be honest – I just figured that I was good with Nike Elite socks, *slams head against table*, and Tech Fleece was just an overpriced Nike Dry-Fit. However, I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong, and I have no problem with saying that I was 100% WRONG.

(Sidenote – if you don’t own any Stance socks or Nike Tech Fleece, stop reading this here, and go get you some. I could not be more serious here.)

Stance Socks

I always thought they were just regular crew socks with lots of cool designs. I’d always see the logo flood my IG with people who are actually wearing the socks backwards. (Logo goes on the inside of the leg – shoutout to Matt from Studiiyo23 for putting me on game). As it turns out, these things are insanely comfortable. In addition to comfort, when matched well, they can absolutely set a fit off. Don’t overlook the little details. Socks do matter – treat your feet well.

Nike Tech Fleece

As much as I hate Finish Line at times, I have to give credit when credit is due. They came through huge for me here. I received a random free $20 code a couple weeks ago, and found a Tech Fleece crewneck on sale for roughly $45. After shipping, I ended up paying $35, which is a steal when you take into account the $90 retail tag. I actually just got it in the mail today, and couldn’t resist throwing it on instantly. Talk about a comfortable crewneck. It’s safe to say I see more Tech Fleece in my future soon.

I’m not currently receiving any benefits from Nike or Stance, so despite what you may think, these are my true, unpolluted views on Tech Fleece and Stance socks. However, if anyone from Nike or Stance is reading these, I’ll definitely sell out. Toss some free product my way, and I gotchu.

The post I Been Schleep – Stance Socks and Nike Tech Fleece appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

You’re probably confused right now.

“The “What The Fieg” Gel Lyte III’s aren’t a must-have? But…but Ross just told me yesterday they were!! I just went out and dropped a rack on them because he convinced me I needed them!”

Granted, Ross did make a great argument as to why you need to own a pair of “What The Fieg’s”, but I disagree with him. You may have started the website, Ross, but you can’t tell me what I do and don’t like!!

To be completely honest, Ross probably only wrote that article since he has a crush on Mr. Fieg, and wanted to get a retweet or like from him out of the deal. Something tells me Jahmade was in on it as well. SMH.

Alright, alright. Enough with the Ross slander. Let’s get down to business. (Starting with a foreword to promote goodwill with all the Kith stans out there).

Don’t get me wrong — I’m a huge Kith and Ronnie Fieg fan. When it comes to role models, and people I strive to be like, Ronnie is at the top of every list. Despite rumors of him “falling off”, Ronnie, in my eyes, hasn’t even reached his peak. But come on… a “What  The?” theme? This is a low for him.

The “What The?” theme was cool for the first few sneakers with Nike. However “overplayed” is now a huge understatement. So overplayed, in fact, people saying that it’s overplayed is getting overplayed. (Don’t ever play yourself).

The allure of wearing mismatching sneakers never quite caught on with me, and I’m in no rush to try to change my mind. Add to the fact that you’re just throwing together random colors in random places from old colorways — nah. Like high fashion, most designer clothing, and hard drugs, this stuff just isn’t for me.

What I did like most about this special package was all the details and additions. The Homage book was unbelievably dope. I’d like to see Nike do something like that. Plus Ronnie threw in 17 pins, 13 sets of laces, a swatch ring of all the materials, and 13 pairs of Stance socks. That’s insane. Even when he misses, Ronnie still finds a way to hit.

All-in-all, I can’t hate on this shoe too much. All of these extras just don’t make it worth it for me to cop this shoe I’ll probably never wear. Plus, I struck out trying for Jahmade, so I definitely won’t cop off of the crazy high resale. Funny how things work out like that.

So what do you think? Am I right? Or am I just full of it and should now leave the opinion pieces to Ross? Let us know what you think in the comments or on Twitter!

The post Why The “What The Fieg” Gel Lyte III’s Are (NOT) A Must-Have appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

As some of you may have noticed, (or not noticed at all), I haven’t posted an article in around two weeks now. Finals week got the best of me, and I had to focus my time hitting the books instead of doing something cool like writing for KicksOneTwo. Now that finals week is over and Winter break has begun, it’s only right that I come back to the site with an absolute BANGER of an article, right??

Well… Sorry to disappoint.

I figure another Instagram plug is well overdue since Ross and I have been taking the most fire shots of our lives lately. I promise you – you will not be disappointed.

Plus, where else are you going to find pictures of Yeezys next to a picture of some Monopoly Reebok Reverse Jams? Or how about a picture of some Sheed AF1’s next to a picture of some Retro 1’s? (And trust me, the Retro 1 is a staple of our IG. Gang gang.)

My point is this – no other sneaker IG account out there has as diverse a page as we do, and we take great pride in that. Not to say we don’t post our fair share of heat, but we just won’t be shoving Yeezys down your throat each and every day. And who knows – if you follow us you just mind see a new pair that you’ve never seen before. Win-win all around.

In addition to following our Instagram page, please check us out on Twitter and Facebook!! Even though you’ll be hit with reminders to checkout the newest articles on the site, our Twitter page is decently bland right now. However, with both Ross and me planning on tweeting off of it more often, you have no reason to not follow us! We’re both definitely looking forward to talking sneakers, clothing, and who knows what else with you guys over there!!

So please — bless up and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Tell your friends to follow us. Follow us on the path to more success. Word to Khaled.

The post Shameless Instagram Plug IV appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

It’s December 5, all the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving is being finished up, snow finally coats the ground (somewhat), colorful lights are lighting up the dark night in neighborhoods everywhere, and “Christmas in Hollis” by Run-DMC is working its way back into your daily playlist. ‘Tis the season, KicksOneTwo fam. Christmas is right around the corner, and we’re all excited as ever for the upcoming holiday.

For those of you that are fans of the NBA (I’m assuming the majority of you are), you’re probably looking forward to the solid slate of Christmas Day games to be played. Obviously, I’m looking forward to my Cavs taking down the (probably still undefeated) Golden State Warriors. Regardless of the outcomes, it’s shaping up to be a great day for the NBA.

For once, this year I’m more excited for the Christmas day uniforms than the games themselves. After last years’ solid “meh” of a jersey, and 2013’s absolutely horrendous, sleeved, piece-of-crap, wannabe-shersey jerseys, these dope Christmas day jerseys are much needed. Even though I’m pretty late on this as the Adidas NBA Christmas uniforms were unveiled a while ago, I don’t even care. These are FIRE. Adidas definitely snapped this year.

A Christmas-esque font covering the front chest really sets these off. In addition, one of the coolest details on the jerseys is a red Adidas wax stamp (as shown in the bottom right corner of the above picture) placed on the back directly under the neckline. As opposed to other years, the Christmas influence is heavy here.

In addition to the Adidas jerseys and ice/blue-green colored kicks, (which I have a feeling won’t be worn by guys like Steph or LeBron), Stance also left their mark on this year’s uniform. The festive cream, red, and green socks add to the Christmas feel, and tie in the whole uniform. I’ll definitely be picking up a pair. Or two.

What do you think? Are you excited to see these uniforms on the court? Will you be copping a pair of the socks? Will you be picking up a jersey for yourself? Or do you prefer the 2013 sleeved jerseys instead? (If so, block us back). Leave a comment, and let us know!

The post 2015 NBA Christmas Uniforms appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

If you were up late enough on Thursday night, (or woke up early enough Friday morning), chances are you had a pretty solid night. The “Black Friday” King Push EQT’s dropped without announcement at 2:00 a.m., and those who were up, and caught the links on Twitter soon enough COOKED (if you were wondering…I cooked).

Late-night sneaker Twitter was pretty happy, and plenty of jokes were made about how mad people were going to be when they woke up and found out they already lost. “You snooze, you lose” has never been more relevant.

This begs the question: Are random releases a good thing or a bad thing? Should more retailers drop limited, hyped-up sneakers without announcing a time?

The answer: Yes. And no. Actually, I don’t really know.

Obviously, I love the fact that Adidas dropped the King Push’s while everyone was sleeping. I actually won. However, if I had been asleep while they dropped, I would’ve been furious. Technically, Adidas did pull a fast one on everybody.

To dig into this further, let’s take a look at the pro’s and con’s of random releases:

Pros

• Less people trying = better chance of copping
  • If you’re on a random drop right away, your chances are very good. (It’s common sense, really)
• Fairness
  • I’m pretty sure some people have auto-refresh bots running all day in order to get their pair(s) secured. That’s not too fair, but overall random drops are pretty fair.

Cons

• It’s easy to miss
  • Say you have a meeting, or you’re asleep — if you aren’t available when they drop, you’re SOL.
• RIP to your day’s productivity
  • This only applies to some, but there are definitely people out there that spend their day computer-surfing monitoring certain sites for shoes. C’mon, man.
• Not hard to strike out on every random release
  • At least with scheduled releases, you have a semi-decent chance to cop. If it’s random, you could literally be busy during the exact time of every drop so you wouldn’t have a chance at buying anything.

So what do you think? Should more retailers release highly-coveted shoes under-the-radar? (Remember, Nike did this with Red Octobers Yeezys). Or is the whole random release thing BS, and should never happen again? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter! And as always, be sure to follow us on Instagram for all the fire sneaker pictures you can handle.

The post Random Releases: Good or Bad? appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

It’s that time of year Once again, Nike has teamed up with Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and given 6 kids the opportunity to design their own shoe for the Doernbecher Freestyle collection. For those of you not too familiar with the DB collection, it is a yearly promotion with all proceeds going to the hospital, and is a great, meaningful collection.

Since today is the release day, I’m going to take a look at this year’s collection, and rank them in terms of worst to best. (Since I have no clue how to really get into ranking a women’s shoe, I’ll just give you my ranking now. Free TR5, best; Air Max 90, second-best). However, before I get into it, there’s one disclaimer: Anything said in this post is me being real about the shoe itself. Like I stated before, I think this is an unbelievably great fundraiser for the hospital, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for both Nike, and the children involved in the designing. However, that doesn’t mean I love every shoe that they released. Without further ado, here’s the 2015 Doernbecher Freestyle collection rankings:

#4 – Retro 13

I don’t care what anybody says here — these are absolute garbage. You couldn’t pay me to wear these. Sure, the black scaling details are pretty cool, but it just doesn’t mesh well with the shoe. The patent leather blue-ish color reminds me of something I’d see on a pair of fakes or something. To be honest, I was surprised when I saw some people say they loved ’em. (Makes me wonder what they would be saying if it wasn’t a DB Release). Although there are some cool details to the shoe, such as “Crohn’s” on the outsole so you can “stomp out the disease with every step”, the overall shoe is very ugly. Easy pass for me.

#3 – LeBron 13

Although I’m not the biggest fan of the LeBron 13, and wouldn’t dream about wearing these casually, they make the list at #3 — coming in way ahead of the Jordan 13’s. Easily the best colorway to come off of a LeBron 13 at this point, the savanna sunset-inspired colorway really pops. Apparently Kian, the designer of this shoe, is a huge Cavaliers and LeBron fan, so I already have a lot of love for the kid. You won’t see these on my feet at all either, but this is a pair I wouldn’t mind having as a collection piece.

#2 – Zoom Stefan Janoski

Taking the second spot this year is the Nike Zoom Stefan Janoski. I’ve never been a Nike SB guy, but these are unbelievably dope. First off, the all black shoe with red detailing is sweet. The Xeno-esque reflective material that shines when you hit the shoe with light is super dope as well. To top it all off, the Batman logo is prominently placed on the outside part of the shoe. This shoe makes me reconsider my current non-SB situation.

#1 – Air Max 95

Was it ever really a question? The Air Max 95 undoubtedly takes the top spot in this years ranking. The blue to red color-scheme combined with the circuit board detailing absolutely sets this shoe off. You better believe I’m going to be trying to get my hands on these today.

Kudos to all of the kids who I know worked hard on their shoe designs. Although I might not think one shoe looks good, someone else might have that as same shoe on their grail list. To each his own.

What do you think? Was I right-on here? Did I screw it up? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter! And best of luck to all those trying to cop!

The post Ranking the 2015 Doernbecher Freestyle Collection appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

Don’t reach, youngblood.

The “Uncle Drew” video series has been a favorite here at KicksOneTwo, so it’s pretty obvious that we were excited to see Pepsi team up with Nike to make the Kyrie 1 “Uncle Drew” sneaker. Overall, it’s a dope, very clean sneaker. You can never go wrong with an all white upper and a gum sole. Add onto that hints of red and blue, and Uncle Drew detailing — flames all around.

However, once I saw the whole special packaging that came with the shoes, I was instantly sold. I need this set for real. 

As you can see in the picture above, the entire package comes with a metal locker filled with various Uncle Drew and Pepsi themed magnets. On the bottom of the locker, the shoes are strapped down, and a special Uncle Drew hoodie and bobble-head are placed above.

This whole package really is one of the ultimate collectibles for me. A dope, limited pair of one of my favorite player’s sneakers in a sweet package with a metal locker, hoodie, and bobble-head inspired by one of my favorite video series sponsored by one of my favorite carbonated beverages? C’mon. son. It really doesn’t get much better than this.

Since this set is limited to 150, the odds here are against all of us. However, Pepsi is giving away five sets every week for the next three weeks via their Pepsi Pass app. So, albeit small, there is still a chance! You can download the app here.

So, for those of you out there that know someone working at Pepsi that could pull some strings and get me a pair, I’ll take a 10.5.

Pepsi, if you’re reading this, I’m willing to sell out for this package. I’ll push Pepsi all day long if you want me to. People won’t ever see me without a crisp bottle of Pepsi in my hands. (I’d be willing to give up Voss here). Just hit me up, and we’ll work something out.

And finally, if you haven’t yet, check out Uncle Drew Chapter 4 here. You won’t be disappointed.

The post Pepsi x Nike Kyrie 1 “Uncle Drew” Thoughts appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

ICYMI: Legend Blue 11’s (such a stupid nickname) restocked on Nike via their semi-new raffle system.

ICYMI: I lost again.

If you tried to get a pair today, there’s probably a solid chance that you lost as well. It’s either that, or I’m just really unlucky when it comes to this stuff. Now that I think about it, I have a pretty bad track record when it comes to raffles. I should probably just stop getting my hopes up from now on.

However, if you’re like me and have successfully struck out on all of Nike’s raffle entries, you probably want to know why you haven’t been blessed with a pair yet. Is it just luck of the draw? Not likely. Today we’re going to take a look at some possible reasons why you can’t win on Nike:

1. You’ve been wearing a lot of Adidas stuff lately.
   • S/O to the biggest Adidas stan I know: Jahmade John.
2. Nike checked your IP, and saw you’ve been looking up the new Yeezy Boost release info.
   • (You ain’t getting those either, fam).
3. You’re a reseller.
   • Nike execs stay lurking on social media. Tread carefully.
4. You’re not a reseller
   • Nice guys finish last, I guess.
5. You have been unknowingly banned from Nike.
   • (That explains why I can never cop any new releases!!)
6. You’re not a big enough hypebeast.
   • C’mon son. You only get these jawnz if you’re planning to stunt in them on IG.

If none of these reasons apply to you, I don’t know what to tell you. As I’ve said before, I’m all for shutting down bots and giving people a fair chance at copping a pair of kicks, but with this raffle system, I’m not sure if I even have a chance at all. At least with a normal release, I can hop on SNKRS and trick myself into thinking that I’m next in some virtual line that probably doesn’t even exist.

Until something changes with Nike’s releases again, I’ll keep taking these virtual L’s.

The post Why You Can’t Win on Nike appeared first on Kicks-1-2.