Foot Locker: a store that’s played a role in the life of sneaker-loving millennials around the world. Maybe you got your first pair of really nice kicks there. Maybe your first real job was wearing the stripes there in high school. Maybe you still work there, and have moved up to management or into the corporate office (or just keep the job on the weekends for that legendary 30% discount). Maybe you still get your kicks there, or maybe you don’t, but no matter what your current relationship with Foot Locker is, you can’t deny that they’ve has been a large part of your sneakerhead journey. read more

In the world of streetwear, Supreme is the undisputed king of collaboration. With every new season comes a brand-new slate full of collaborative pieces made in conjunction with entities both large and small. Some shift culture on a massive scale, redefining the way we think and talk about streetwear as a whole, while some are little more than a flash in the pan, already forgotten by the time the next Thursday rolls around and a fresh batch of goods (collaborative or otherwise) are brought to market. read more

YouTube is one of the most powerful and expansive mediums of communication in today’s digital world. Since its inception in 2005, the once-humble video sharing site has blossomed into an endless library of content, with everything from news to music to cat videos to fight compilations just a simple search and a click away. YouTube has created a new breed of “influencer,” one that controls and sways a viewer’s taste through their videos.

YouTube also brought many subcultures into the spotlight by making them much more accessible. “Sneaker YouTube” was a fringe term only a few years ago, but has exploded in popularity due to daily vlogs (video blogs), unboxings (new product being opened live on camera) and discussion videos from content creators with subscriber numbers in the hundreds of thousands, like BULL1TRC, Blake Linder, Money Kicks, and Qias Omar amassing huge loyal followings. read more

Another NBA All-Star Weekend is officially in the books, and we’ve got a fresh batch of great new memories from the festivities. From Quavo of the Migos dominating the Celebrity Game en route to an MVP award, to the NBA’s young guns showing out in the Rising Stars challenge (a game that practically turned into a dunk contest) all the way back around to All-Star Saturday Night where Spencer Dinwiddie showed off an impressive skill set, Devin Booker was money from deep, and Donovan Mitchell did his best Vince Carter impersonation … there was a lot of dopiness going down, and that’s all before the game itself, where the King himself, LeBron James dominated and earned MVP honors yet again in a defenseless victory. read more

GOAT and Flight Club. Two behemoths of the sneaker resell industry. One an old standby with a heavy physical retail presence, one a new-jack online only peer to peer marketplace. Both boast a devoted following, a high degree of name recognition in their market, and a massive amount of incredible sneakers for purchase, and now the two are combining into one colossal company.

That’s correct: GOAT and Flight Club are joining forces to create the single largest aftermarket sneaker empire in the world … and GOAT, not Flight Club will be the overarching parent company after raising $60 million dollars in capital (and a whopping $250 million dollar valuation) from venture capital firm Infunding. read more

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

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

Let’s keep it real: January’s not the most fun time of the year. The holidays are over. Everyone’s back to work in earnest. The thrill of making New Year’s resolutions has worn off along with all the champagne you consumed on New Year’s Eve. Now that reality has set in, all you’re left with is a hangover, literally and figuratively.

Plus, if you’re not blessed enough to live in the South or on the West Coast, it’s cold. Not just chilly, cooler than a polar bear’s toenails (word to 3 Stacks). Flat-out frigid. In the Midwest, temperatures have been hovering around 0 (although they’re finally starting to warm up a little bit). New York’s been getting so much snow dumped on them that they’re currently experiencing a city-wide shortage of fresh Timberlands. The Northeast has been dealing with windchill the likes of which has never been seen before. And still, our asshat of a president Mr. Donald Trump sits in the White House, denying that climate change is real. read more

There’s no denying it: Supreme has the Midas touch. Every collaborative piece that they work on is instantly rocketed into the streetwear stratosphere, and although some question their design chops (more loudly so in recent seasons), nobody doubts their ability to generate hype and desire in a way that no other brand in the world can. They’ve worked with a veritable “who’s who” of fashion-industry royalty, from Comme Des Garcons to Brooks Brothers to Lacoste, but one of their longest-standing and most successful collaborative runs is with Nike, whom they’ve been working with since 2002. read more

For all intents and purposes 2017 is over. In less than 24 hours, the clock will strike midnight and a new year full of fresh possibilities, new opportunities, great shoes, and fire clothes will be upon us. As the calendar resets to January 1st, we’ll be given one last chance to look back on the year that’s passed as well as being blessed with an opportunity to set goals and resolutions for the year ahead.

We’ll be the first to admit it: New Year’s resolutions can can cause some interesting conundrums. It’s easy to fall into a trap, thinking that you have to set grand, illustrious life goals for yourself before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. Thankfully, that’s not true. If something in life is truly important and meaningful to you, you can resolve to do it at any time. read more

Nobody had a better year in 2017 than Virgil Abloh.

The multifaceted creative’s OFF-WHITE label enjoyed great success as his industrial-inspired belts caught fire and became one of the most stand-out accessories of the year, used as everything from purse straps to dog leashes by forward-thinking fashionistas. He traveled around the world for DJ gigs, seemingly landing in a new country and playing in front of raucous crowds every week. And his collaborative effort with Nike, “The Ten”, which re-imagined ten iconic Nike silhouettes both new and old was undoubtedly the biggest story of the year in the sneaker world. read more

Since the dawn of modern-day sneaker collecting, brands have fueled seasonal hype with holiday-inspired kicks. From the 4th of July to Halloween, from 4/20 (yes, it’s a holiday) to Easter, there’s special releases to coincide with each and every major holiday over the course of a year. But come Christmas, things get kicked into overdrive. It’s one of the biggest holidays for sneaker collaborations each and every year, and nobody does Christmas sneakers better than Nike.

Nike’s Christmas sneakers have a lot working in their favor: there’s strongly defined cultural totems that they can draw inspiration from (you’ll see recurring themes in this list), they’re not bound to ugly, difficult-to-wear colors like some other seasonal releases (we’re looking at you and all your gag-inducing pastels, Easter), and sneakerheads are always looking for a fresh new pair around the holidays so they can stunt at Christmas dinner (don’t lie to yourself … we know you love doing it just as much as we do). read more

2017: the year that streetwear went mainstream.

Over the past few years, the Internet has taken a close-knit underground culture with a rich history full of unique characters, excellent stories, and incredible clothes and for better or worse, it’s been exposed it to the masses. What was once an exclusive club of sorts is more accessible than ever, and in the last twelve months streetwear truly went mainstream, breaking into popular culture in a way that it never had before.

A whole lot happened to streetwear culture in 2017. Extreme trends and borderline excessive collaboration ruled the sphere, high exposure on social media changed the way that the culture is exposed permanently, and the lines between old guard high-fashion houses and street brands were blurred almost to the point of nonexistence. Now that this crazy year has almost drawn to a close, it’s time to look back on both the highs and lows of 2017, and discuss streetwear’s future in 2018 and beyond. read more

2017 was a truly wild year in sneakers. Full of trends both new and old, endless collaborations (more than three-quarters of the shoes on this list are collaborative pairs), and all-consuming hype the likes of which has not been seen before, sneaker culture shifted massively these past twelve months. And it’s likely it will never be the same again.

Nike came roaring back to the forefront of cool with extensive collaborations and limited releases after losing siginificant ground to Adidas the past two years. 90’s trends came full-circle, as both chunky old-school sneakers and classic Air Max silhouettes enjoyed a revival, while the athleasure set took to new, sleek designs that were futuristic in their concepts and space-like in their feel. read more

Sneaker companies love releasing themed collections nowadays. Christmas, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, you name it and there’s probably a sneaker (if not a few) that are released to commemorate the occasion.

One thing sneaker companies love to commemorate is LBGTQ pride. No matter if it’s pride day, weekend, or month, Nike, adidas, and more brands love to release colorful kicks to show their unity with the LBGTQ community. It’s lead to some interesting collabs and some colorful kicks … but we’ve gotta wonder just one thing: are these sneakers a real cultural statement and a show of support, or just some masterful marketing? read more

Takashi Murakami is one of the greatest artists of our generation. His sculptures, paintings, and album covers (Kanye West’s Graduation still boasts some of the best album artwork of all time thanks to Takashi-pom) have influenced many, and the mark he’s left on the cultural landscape is nothing short of amazing.

However, with that kind of longevity it was inevitable that he did something less than great sooner or later … and that something that was less than great was a pair of shoes. read more

There are certain shoes on the market that are going to be associated with older folks off the strength. Shoes that are usually worn with calf-high socks and cargo shorts. Shoes commonly found at retirement homes.

The New Balance 990 is one of those shoes. For most, when you bring it up, they see it as a shoe for old folks. But it’s more than just that.

The 990 is a low-key fashion icon, as strange as that sounds. Everyone from normcore (yes, that’s still a thing) nerds to Lil Uzi Vert (who loves the shoe so much he even rapped “990, that’s the Newbies” in “Canadian Goose” rock the 990’s heavy, and despite what you may think, they’re not a shoe that just belongs in your granddad’s closet. read more

The Nike SF-AF1 has become one of our favorite new shoes currently on the market.

But it didn’t start that way. We were iffy at first. We thought they were a bit too Yeezy-esque. We didn’t like the look. But they grew on us. More and more fire colorways kept releasing, and as we saw more street style shoots, we came around on them.

Because of that, we’re more willing to give the new SF-AF1 Mids a chance than we’d normally be. What made the SF-AF1 unique was its super high high top, something that’s not present on the mid. The mid looks like a cross between an AF1 Mid and an AF1 High … so it’s unique to say the very least. The ‘Tiger Camo” pair at the top of this article will be the first colorway to debut, and we’re interested to see what the response will be like. read more

The Nike VaporMax is a great shoe. Clean, futuristic, wearable, and comfortable. It’s killing things on the collaborative side too. The CDG VaporMax are one of the most valuable shoes of the year so far, and the recently-announced CLOT collaboration is making waves all of its own too.

However, we’re here today to talk about the “Day To Night Pack”. 5 colorways of the VaporMax, representing the turn of day to night. Arctic Pink, Violet Dust, Glacier Blue, Blue Orbit, and College Navy. 5 tonal unisex colors that bridge the gamut from morning to evening. read more

As a rule of thumb, we’re pretty iffy on updated versions of classic shoes. Like we’ve mentioned before, sometimes the combination of old and new just flat-out works, and other times it looks garish and clashes terribly. There’s not a lot of middle ground as far as we’re concerned … it’s either pretty good or pretty bad. Thankfully the Stan Smith Boost falls into the former category and not the latter.

The Boost replaces the classic rubber midsole perfectly, and is not really all that noticeable unless you’re looking directly at it. That’s how updated classics should be: all the subtle detail of the original with just a little bit of modern flair for cultural purposes. You won’t notice the Boost midsole unless you’re looking for it … but you will notice and appreciate the new-age comfort. read more

Kanye West has really, truly got the Midas touch.

Any word, font, or colorway he likes is automatically a hit. Just look at any of his Calabasas stuff. A random city in California. A font that’s already been ripped off a million times. A bunch of cool but overpriced sportswear that blew off the shelves like nobody’s business. It’s impressive. His brand is all-powerful.

However, with all that hype comes a whole lot of fatigue, and we’ve gotta say that we’re flat-out tired of the Calabasas stuff. It’s been ripped off so many times that even the real product is hardly cool anymore … and the Yeezy customs by Mache at the top of this article are a prime example. read more

Any long-time KicksOneTwo reader knows at least two things about us: we generally praise Jordan I’s, and we generally are iffy on customs. However, we have enjoyed many a custom Jordan I … especially any camo pair. So needless to say … we’re pretty hyped on the new Jordan I “Camo Pack” that’s dropping soon (there’s no official release date just yet).

The shoes will be offered in two different colorways, the “Shadow” and the “Banned”. The “Shadow” colorway features a grey, white, and black tonal look while the “Banned” colorway trades in the tonal styling for some bright red accents. Both aren’t the best summer shoes … but would be perfect for the fall/winter months, and both sport a new “Air 23” graphic on the heel. read more

We promised we’d keep you up to date on the OFF-WHITE Air Jordan I’s, one of the craziest and most hyped-up shoes in recent memory … and we’re doing just that today. The most extensive selection of on-foot images hit the Internet earlier this week, courtesy of Hypebeast, and we’re even more gassed about the shoes now than we were when the release was originally announced.

We were somewhat tentative about how the extremely deconstructed look would work on foot (keep in mind that some shoes look better on display than they do when they’re actually being rocked), but these jawns look CRAZY on feet. They’re surprisingly clean, and even though they look like they just might fall apart at a moment’s notice, the clean and bold branding helps tie them back together. read more

There’s no denying it, adidas LOVES what they call the “OG” colorway of their NMD’s. We’ve mentioned a few times before that we think it’s a bit rich to say that a shoe that’s only been around for few years has an “OG” colorway, but that’s neither here nor there.

It was recently announced that the “OG” colorway would be making yet another return, this time on the NMD XR1. The classic red, blue, black, and white colorway is back yet again … but at least this time, the shoe is blessed with a premium leather heel tab. We don’t really like the XR1 as much as the R1 (we think that the plastic cage around the midfoot is just a little too busy for such a sleek shoe), but these are one of the cleanest XR1’s we’ve seen yet, up there with the Masterminds … even though they probably won’t approach those in value. read more

I believe I can fly … I believe I can touch the sky … I think about it every niiiight and daaaay…

We’re sorry. When writing about any Jordan “Wings” release, we find it challenging to not break into our finest R. Kelly impersonation. When the first Wings came out, the XII’s, we were singing loud.  They were fire. One of the best and most unique sneakers we’ve seen in a long time.

But now the Wings I’s are here, and we don’t love them nearly as much as the XII’s. This isn’t common for us. We love most Jordan I’s, but these? Can’t even do it. They look like a tarnished statue, and not in a cool old Roman or Greek sculpture way … like in a whack cheap statue you’d find in a thrift store kind of way. read more

There’s a good chance that if you’re here reading a KicksOneTwo article, you don’t mind dropping a good chunk of change on a pair of shoes. As long as you like them enough, and you think you can flex in them (we know you can), then you’ll go ahead and pony up the dough. We get it. We’re the same way.

There’s also a chance that you may have kids. We’re not sure if you do or not (we’d assume that some of our readers do as we have a diverse audience), but we’re sure you buy them shoes too. The one question we’d have to ask: would you buy expensive kids shoes? read more

We love Jordan I’s. They’re simple. They’re classic. They’re clean. They’ve been out for over 30 years, and are STILL one of the best shoes on the market. We’ll love them forever, and we usually love it when Nike puts a fresh spin on them … but the recently-unveiled Jordan Flyknit I doesn’t really float our boat. If you’re wondering where the above image is from, it was captured at a Spurs-Blazers playoff game in Portland recently.

We love Flyknit, and we love Jordan I’s but two great things don’t always come together to make an even better thing, and that’s unfortunately the case here. The classic look of the Jordan I and the futuristic look of the Flyknit just don’t come together right. read more

Despite our love for the Jordan I, we won’t argue that there aren’t many shoes on the market more hot and cold than the classic high top. The shoe will either blow out the day of release (like the Royal I’s did recently) or reach super-duper-deep discount status at Nike outlets all over the country (like the yin-yang pack I’s did).

So with the release of the classic Metallic Red I’s on the horizon (May 6th to be specific), we can’t help but wonder: will they sell out, or will they sit on shelves and hit outlets like the Metallic Navy did? read more

Release day’s behind us. The madness has subsided (somewhat). The hypebeasts have left the mall, and returned to their rooms, where they’ll scheme their next few weeks of Instagram posts until the next hot release, when they’ll re-emerge.

So now that the initial hype has died down, we can look back on the shoe with a slightly more objective point of view (check the rhyme scheme). And what do we think? It’s clean. Very clean. Might just be the best V2 yet … but it’s not enough to swing us back on the Yeezy train. read more

A few weeks back, we wrote about LaVar Ball. How he needed to chill. How his big mouth and outlandish statements were doing more harm than good. We were (and still are) of the opinion that he’s enjoying the limelight too much, and putting negative attention onto his sons with his behavior instead of letting their play speak for itself.

Well, according to reports it looks like we were completely correct. ESPN’s Darren Rovell (a typically reliable source of information) reported this week that Nike, adidas, and Under Armor aren’t interested in signing Lonzo Ball to a contract. Think this might have something to do with LaVarr? We do. Lonzo stayed quiet and let his excellent play speak for him … but LaVarr’s constant outlandish statements (especially the one he made regarding the package shoe deal for his sons that we touched on in the previous article) has made a kid who could be a solid pitch man for a brand into somewhat of a liability. read more

When summer comes around, it’s extremely important that your sneaker game is right. Transitioning from fits you’d wear in the colder months with more layers and darker colors to simpler summer fits with lighter colors and less layers can prove challenging. You’ve got less to wear, so you need to make it count.

Thankfully, it looks like Jordan Brand will have you covered all this summer, as they’re re-releasing one of the best Jordan IV’s of all time, the “Pure Money”. We haven’t seen them since 2010 … and we’ve got to say: we’re extremely excited to see them again, as they’re returning at the perfect time. read more

We’re sitting here in a state of dismay.

You know that feeling you get when you see something you really don’t like? That odd pit in your stomach? Well that’s what we’re dealing with right now after we saw supposed leaked images of a Yeezy 650 Boost.

We’re normally pretty skeptical of these “leaked images”, as there’s a lot of fake news (both in sneakers and otherwise) on the internet, and stuff like this is often not true, but we’ve got to say … these unfortunately look legit. And by legit, we mean they look like an overgrown rat. They’re large and bulbous, and any charm that was given by the oversize sole on the lowtop 350’s is completely eliminated by the horrible mid-top collar. read more

The 121st edition of the Boston Marathon was ran this week … and like usual it was an event to remember. From the first woman to ever run in the marathon running again 50 years later to a veteran with a prosthetic leg crossing the finish line, there was a lot to be remembered.

Unfortunately for the event’s sponsor adidas, there’s probably more that they want to forget.

For starters, they sent out a completely tone-deaf email to everyone who finished the marathon that stated “you survived”. You’d think that someone in their marketing department might have pointed out that may have not been the best idea … but they’ve got to hold an L on that one. read more

Jordan Brand has been doing a lot of experimenting with the Jordan I lately, and the results have been somewhat mixed.

As die-hard Jordan I fans, we’ll always prefer the originals, but we understand that a company’s gotta shake shit up every so often to stay ahead of the curve … so we can forgive Jordan Brand for messing around a bit with our favorite model ever. However, we just simply can’t get behind the new color-blocked midsoles on the grade school Jordan I’s that released this week. read more

Sneakerheads and sneaker news sources are always falling over themselves trying to be the first to break news. When there’s a new release, new colorway, or new info of literally any sort, they’re always in a competition to see who can break the news first … and sometimes that’ll lead to incorrect information. We’re hoping the picture at the top of this article is incorrect information.

You see, it was reported earlier this week that this might just be the Yeezy Boost 350 V3. For obvious reasons, we hope it’s not. Just take a look at it: it looks like a poor man’s version of the V2 with the weird mesh pattern on the side and the giant heel tab loops on the back. read more