WOOO SHIT! MOTHERFUCKER GOT DAMN!
If you know me or have followed this blog at all, you know I'm a sucker for weird woven shit like this that incorporates Nike's more innovative tech.
This is that wake up early and jog on the beach with your dog type of shoe. I fucks with this.
This is that doin' the dougie on the playa in a dust storm at Burning Man type of shoe. I'm bout it.
Matter of fact, this is that naked high five to the moon (pause) at Burning Man type of shoe. Gotta cop.
In case you haven't noticed, I like weird woven shoes almost as much as I like Burning Man.
I recently ordered two pairs of custom New Balance 574s from newbalance.com and I could not be happier with the results. For those of you who aren't familiar, New Balance offers a custom program (just like Nike iD) on their website for two classic models, the 574 and 993.
New Balance's customs have a great selection of colors and are priced very well. The 574s are $114.95 and the 993s are $174.95. You can almost always find a 10% off + free shipping discount code to get these down to about $110 shipped including tax.
I ordered two pairs on Tuesday, Nov. 20th and both pairs arrived by Tuesday Dec. 4th. This is an incredibly quick turnaround when you consider that I live in California (They're made in Massachusetts), and that NB and UPS are both obviously closed for Thanksgiving.
Right off the bat, I was impressed with the quality. The suede and mesh are on par with the materials you see on many New Balance collabs. The leather was also high quality, worlds better than what we're used to seeing on Jordan retros. The craftsmanship is also great. The stitching is all on point, no glue stains, and the shape is perfect. Overall, the quality is much greater than what anyone in the sneaker community expects to get for $110 these days, which is refreshing.
I'm a huge fan of Nike iD, but this is a better product. I've never had any real quality issues with Nike iDs, but the price point + 6 weeks wait are too much to deal with when a competitor is offering a similar experience with better quality and shorter wait time. I must reiterate that the quality on all of my Nike iDs has been very nice and I'm always very pleased, I'm just trying to state how New Balance goes above and beyond on these customs.
Enough about the experience, let's get to the kicks and what inspired them:
The New Balance 574 Custom "Weekend @ Bernie's"
These were inspired by the movie "Weekend At Bernie's". I wanted to make a shoe based on Bernie's outfit because I felt like I could use another summer-type sneaker that's more toned down than all the bright ass Nike Basketball stuff I like to rock in the summer. For those of you that are unfamiliar with "Weekend At Bernie's", cheek it out. Shit is hilarious. I loved it as a kid. Here's a pic of Bernie and the fit that inspired the colors on this shoe:
New Balance 574 Custom "Ultra Travolta"
"So yeah, at the Grammys I went Ultra Travolta. Yeah that tuxedo might have been a little guido."- Kanye West on "The Glory"
That lyric set up my frame of mind when designing this pair. I just wanted to show out with these and give them a colorway and feel you don't typically get with New Balances. As far as the colorblocking goes, I was inspired by the "Red Devil" 670:
I didn't want my shoe to be a total ripoff of the "Red Devils" so I thought to go with the black midsole and add some more colors to the mix. Every sneakerhead has a ton of black/red shoes just off Js alone, so I chose to add some green and a touch of yellow to give them that Gucci colorway. I went with Green and yellow because I'm a big fan of the 24 Kilates Asics Gel Saga:
I love that shoe, but it's one of those pairs that I don't love enough to pay the silly resell prices for.
So far, I've rocked the Ultra Travoltas and they're incredibly comfy. I really love both pairs and I highly recommend customizing your own pair. You won't be disappointed.
The LeBron X iD might be the most popular model on Nike iD right now for one reason and one reason only; The ability to create a South Beach LeBron X.
The first wave of LeBron X iDs are starting to pop up online and I'd guess that at least 60% of the photos I've seen are of South Beach inspired colorways. People can order whatever they like, but as a huge fan of Nike iDs, people all ordering a colorway we might see later is lame to me. Nike iDs are meant to be an expression of individuality, so to see a whole bunch of people with the same iDs makes me really question where sneaker culture is headed.
It's a shame that the South Beach colorway has gotten so much hype because it has overshadowed the fact that the LeBron X iD has some excellent options that lend themselves to some really great colorways.
I've been tinkering with plenty of colorways inspired by past LeBrons, other classic sneakers, and other random inspirations. Here's what I came up with:
LeBron X iD "Red Carpet"
LeBron X iD "Entourage"
LeBron X iD "Hardwood Classics/Knicks"
LeBron X iD "Space Jam"
LeBron X iD "Miami Hurricanes"
LeBron X iD "Mardi Gras"
As you can see, I've wasted plenty of time and I still haven't been able to pull the trigger. However, a fellow sneakerhead who I know through a sneaker related Facebook group did order and received his pair this week. Here are some pics of his iDs:
These beauties were made by the homie Sergio Ortiz. He was inspired by a pair of Nike Air Trainers that he was wearing when he designed them, as well as the Miami Nights LeBron 9. He said that he was very happy with the product. He mentioned that the quality was on point and that his only complaint would be the speckles on the midsole. Apparently the finish on the speckles is not glossy and has a sloppier look, as if they actually slashed paint on them.
Sergio also mentioned that the turnaround time from order to delivery was only four weeks, which is pretty good when it comes to Nike iDs.
If you have any questions for Sergio or simply wanna give him props for the dope iDs, you can hit him up on Instagram at eeks323, or on twitter: @urewacktoo .
Much thanks to Sergio for sharing his iDs. I'm strongly considering ordering one of the designs that I posted so feel free to hit me on twitter @juicemanji and let me know what you think, or better yet hit me with any of your Nike iD creations. I love seeing other folks iDs, so never hesitate to hit me up.
This holiday season will feature an insane amount of big releases from Nike and Jordan Brand. In my opinion, Nike and JB have gone way overboard and should have staggered these releases over a longer period of time. In any case, most sneakerheads will do what they can to cop everything they can over the next month and a half. I'm here to hopefully relieve some of that holiday shopping stress by offering my advice on how to cop some of these releases with minimal effort.
Let's start with some of the general release Jordans that will be dropping:
Jordan IV "Bred" 11/23 (Black Friday
Jordan IX "Olive" 11/17
Jordan XI "Bred" 12/21
Jordan IX "Cool Grey" 12/15
All of these can be had fairly easily online, except for maybe the XIs. Other than the initial releases on the major sites, you can always count on a restock or two on Finishline. I also find it very easy to cop GR Jordans on a lot of the euro sites like Crooked Tongues, Sneakers N Stuff, etc. If the Bred XIs are a must cop for you and you can't leave it up to chance going online, I suggest you start making arrangements now.
As far as some of the more limited releases go, (Doernbecher IXs, Thunder IVs, Galaxy Zoom Rookies, Galaxy BG Hyperdunks) they'll all be available online and/or twitter RSVP. Start calling in favors if you're not trying to deal with too much bullshit.
With the Nike Basketball X-Mas lineup, I would just play it by ear. Those will all be easy to come by, just like they were last year. There doesn't appear to be a standout, classic colorway like the Grinches from two years ago.
Also remember that most Nike and JB shoes end up in the outlets anyway. Don't be afraid to play the waiting game. If they don't hit the outlet, the resale market will always cool down with the hyped shoes of the moment. The Dunkman and Floridian LeBrons and Tiger Camo Hyperposites won't be tough to come by after they drop and you won't have to break the bank either.
I know there are countless releases coming in the next few weeks, but don't let that stress get to you. Focus on the tougher releases (Bred XIs, Thunder IVs, and DB XIs) because those won't come cheap after they sell out. Anything else will be much easier than you think. Just be patient and keep stacking!
YOOO! What the fuck is this? These camo foams are atrocious. Gentry Humphrey can't be serious with these shits. Who is in Gentry's ear?
This looks like some shit Master P would rock in the late 90s, bruh. Stupid ass paintball camo shoes, man. Man if they're gonna make Master P-camo Foamposite, why not make a Foam with one of those ugly ass Master P album covers on it?
Nike sportswear puts out some real garbage from time to time. Fix this shit, Gentry.
After going on a month long road trip, moving to Los Angeles, starting a new career and getting settled in my new home, I've finally found some quiet time for me to post on the blog. There has been plenty going on in the sneaker world and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts on all of it. LET'S GO!
This past Friday, I started a road trip that will take me from L.A. to Miami, with stops in Indiana, Memphis, New Orleans, Austin, and a bunch of other places of interest. While I was in Vegas, I stopped by the Shoezeum. Some of you might remember last year, when Jordy Geller started the Shoezeum in San Diego. If not, here's a vid:
Well now he's moved his amazing Nike collection to Las Vegas and I recommend that anyone who loves Nikes and Jordans take the time to check it out.
The pic above details the different displays in the Shoezeum. A lot of them are themed, while some are simply organized by shoe, like the Foams, Air Maxes, etc.
One of the first displays is the "Back To The Future" display. You got your Delorean 6.0 Dunk Lows, Air Mags, McFly Hyperdunks, and McFly Hypermax.
This was a pretty impressive collection of Jordan Retros. This wasn't all of them, but it was pretty dope to see the way these were set up.
A display featuring different variations of the Nike Air Max 1 and Nike Air Safari, two of my favorite shoes of all time. Notice the CLOT Air Max 1 in the lower right hand corner. This is the only shoe with see thru panels that I've ever liked.
They had pretty much every Nike Tennis shoe with historical significance, including the Nike Air Oscillate. The Air Oscillate was Pete Sampras' signature shoe during the prime of his career. This is a forgotten classic, as most of today's sneaker community tends to ignore any non-Agassi tennis retro.
The 'Posite collection was very dope. They had more than just Foam Ones and Pros. They had Flightposites, Clogposites, etc.
They had the Converse x Jordan Brand pack, commemorating the 30 year anniversary of Jordan hitting the jumper that won the national championship for North Carolina. This is 1 of 30 in the world. It's tough to see in the pic, but the pack also includes an autographed Carolina jersey.
There was plenty more, but this is the last pic I'll leave you with. The Air Max 97s. My favorite shoe of the Air Max series and a very underrated shoe in the US. These are much more popular in Asia. They know what's up.
The Shoezeum is a must visit for Nike/Jordan lovers. I only have two complaints, the first being that the Shoezeum is pretty much only Nikes and Jordans. I remember seeing maybe three non Nike related shoes in the entire place. I would have liked to see Adidas, Reebok, and New Balance get some shine also.
My second complaint is that there aren't any plaques or signs detailing the significance of each display. I knew everything, but I found myself basically giving a tour to my fiancée. Any non-sneakerhead would have no real way of knowing the significance of some of the very rare shoes on display, like UNDFTD Jordan IVs, or Paris SB Dunk Lows. Jordy, the owner, and the very cool staff are around to chop it up and answer any questions, but I feel like it could be a better experience for the non-sneakerhead if there were plaques with information on each display case.
In any case, I had a great time at the Shoezeum and they're open until midnight in Downtown Las Vegas, so go check it out when you're in town.
It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. I've been incredibly busy lately, packing up all my shit and moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It's been eight incredible years in the Bay Area, but it was time for me to move back to my hometown of Los Angeles. I'm pretty excited about carving out my place in the L.A. sneaker scene.
I am on a month long road trip across the US of A with my fiancée and we are currently visiting some of her family in Bloomington, Indiana. I will have some time to post over the next couple of days and I hopefully can post some of my sneaker related sightseeing during our stops in Miami, New Orleans, and Austin.
I'm about to post on my trip to the Shoezeum, in Las Vegas. Sorry for the lack of content lately, but thanks for still checking in and I'll continue to bring the kind of original content that made you check this blog out in the first place. Thanks for the support.
The Jordan "Golden Moments Pack" is dropping this Saturday, and much to the dismay of the sneaker community, most retail locations are holding raffles for this pack. Footlocker, Finishline, etc., have all sited "safety" as the reason for holding online raffles. Most collectors prefer to control their own fate with a first come first serve system/campouts. I personally am too old and my time is to valuable to be camping out for kicks. I know that people are upset because they believe that these raffles will be rigged...BOO-FUCKING-HOO! If you fuckers knew how to act/police yourselves at these line ups/camp outs we wouldn't be in this situation. I know that the people that wild out, throw bottles, start fights, bum rush lines, and generally fuck shit up do not truly represent the sneaker culture. However, when we don't do shit about this behavior, we tacitly condone it. In the future, we have to protect our image because the Concord and Galaxy drops made the culture look foolish.
I like this pack and think the price point is reasonable, but I wouldn't go out of my way to cop because I'm really down on Jordans right now. They represent a lot of what's gone wrong with the culture and the shit bums me out.
If I happened to hit on a raffle or online, I'd at least cop as a trade chip. If the quality is on point (doubtful), I would consider keeping them.
Nike Air Max Hyperposite
Also dropping on Saturday is the Nike Air Max Hyperposite. I'm still not sure how I feel about this shoe. I am a technology nerd when it comes to kicks, so the idea of a foamposite/hyperfuse/air max combo is dope to me. I'm not crazy about the pattern, however. This is a shoe that I could see myself liking better in person than in pictures.
I will not be copping this shoe because of the $220 price point. I have to LOVE a shoe to shell out that kind of cash. I wouldn't rush to cop these because I think they'll sit. Maybe people who miss out on the GMP Js will cop these as a consolation prize, but I doubt it. These strike me as a shoe you can get on sale, so if you're thinking about copping and you have some patience, wait these out.
The LeBron X is looking very nice so far. It's very similar to the LeBron 8 V2, but with more advanced tech specs. This shoe has the first ever fully visible zoom air unit. Not only is this without precedent, but the shit looks DOPE. The reverse swoosh is another distinctive touch that is rarely seen on Nike product. By no means do I think this is a classic silhouette, but I do think some good colorways can spawn a classic or two in the LeBron X line.
That's all I've got for this rant. Thanks for reading. I truly appreciate the support. Peace.
The Los Angeles Lakers, my hometown team, acquired Dwight Howard today and I'm extremely giddy about it. Not sure it has completely sunk in yet. I was trying to come up with an idea for a post related to how Adidas might approach having their first signature athlete in L.A. since Kobe was reppin' for the three stripes. I ultimately came to the conclusion that I didn't feel like writing about how Adidas will make purple and gold Howard shoes.
I ended up reminiscing about some of my favorite Laker teams of the past and one that always comes to mind is the 95-96 Laker squad. This was the last year before Shaq and Kobe. The team was young, exciting, and even had a recently un-retired Magic Johnson. The player that defines the era between the "Showtime" Lakers and the Shaq/Kobe era is Eddie Jones. Eddie was that dude. He was a hyper-athletic kid from Philly who could shoot, guard the opposing team's best guard, and finish with the best of them. Eddie was so dope that he was the reason Kobe came off the bench in his first two seasons. If you aren't familiar Eddie's game, peep this vid. Nine minutes of Eddie Jones dunking on just about everyone.
If you don't have 9 minutes to spare, here are some of the gems:
At the 1:48 mark, Eddie drives and dunks all over Hakeem Olajuwan
This one is amazing because of all the people involved. Magic Johnson posts up a young rookie named Kevin Garnett, and delivers one of the best alley oop passes you'll ever see. This one is straight basketball porn. 2:23 mark.
At 3:09, rookie year Kobe gives Sean Rooks a shoulder rub. Awkward.
Monster putbacks at 4:04 and 4:29.
Back to back dunks on 7'6'' Shawn Bradley at the 6:06 mark.
At 8:30, Eddie picks up a loose ball in transition and takes off from just inside the free throw line to dunk on Andrew Lang.
As Eddie Jones became a bigger star, he drew the attention of Michael Jordan. So much so that Jordan decided to sign Jones to "Team Jordan" when Jordan became it's own brand in 1997. My favorite team Jordan shoe that Eddie used to rock was the Jumpman Pro Quick:
This was a favorite of mine at the time that they dropped. These were among the first "team" Js ever, so they sold very well. They were especially popular in L.A. because people thought of them as Eddie Jones' shoe. This shoe, much like Jones, has been relatively forgotten despite its greatness. Maybe that's why I have such a soft spot for them. I would love to see these retro. Jordan Brand recently retro'd the Vin Baker team shoe, Jumpman Pro Strong, so these might be on their way also.
You can expect to see more sports and music related posts on the blog because they are part of the fabric that makes up sneaker culture. So with that said, please continue to visit the blog and thank you all very much for taking the time to check. I love being able to share my passion for kicks with others who share it,
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