May is in full swing, and this week's slate of sneaker drops offers a veritable myriad of variety. Narrowing all the releases down to a dozen was decidedly difficult: there's a plethora of clean in-line lifestyle makeups, limited collaborations and potent performance silhouettes alike hitting shelves over the next seven days. Before we get into the madness however, let's take a brief primer on last week's happenings.
Michael Jordan mania has never subsided, but with The Last Dance drawing closer to its scintillating conclusion, fandom for the GOAT is crescendoing once again — and a game-worn, signed pair of MJ's Air Jordan 1 "Chicago" from 1985 is up for auction at Sotheby's. You'll need to have deep pockets though: bids are expected to exceed $100,000 USD. Miami's SoleFly also celebrated its 10th anniversary with a shock drop of its new Air Jordan 10 collaboration. On a more obtainable Air Jordan note, we were also given a detailed look at the Air Jordan 4 "Metallic Purple," a continuation of the four-shoe, region-exclusive AJ4 "Metallic" pack.
Power players and irreverent icons each had a moment in the collaborative spotlight. Hiroshi Fujiwara took to Instagram to show off a prototype silhouette from his unreleased "The Ten" collection. Seemingly equal parts Air Max 1 and ACG, the never-produced style offers an interesting "what if?" Virgil Abloh, the man who — of course — was selected for "The Ten" made noise as well with a "University Blue" colorway of the yet-to-release Rubber Dunk. Finally, Fucking Awesome head honcho Jason Dill showed off a duo of FA x adidas Skateboarding prototypes on The Nine Club.
Nike Sportswear and New Balance each nudged into the news, too. The Swoosh's lifestyle subdivision announced the release of a Dunk Low "Team Tones" pack for the summer months. New Balance tapped No Vacancy Inn for an ultra-limited 650, kept to 400 pairs that were only available via StockX's "IPO" offering, and HYPEBEAST provided a detailed look NB's popular 327 lifestyle silhouette.
Finally, HYPEBEAST took a deep dive into how Birkenstocks became the perfect shoe of the moment. Although the German brand's mules and sandals have been around for a staggering 250 years (!), their comfort and functionality ensure that they're as relevant now as they've ever been.
Caught up? Let's dive into a hand-picked selection of this week's dozen best releases. Check our Drops page for a full slate of arrivals (this week's an undeniably busy one), and heed the usual disclaimer: these styles may be delayed by the continued effect of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
COMME des GARÇONS x Nike Dunk Low Pack
Release Date: May 14
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Dover Street Market
Why You Should Cop: Without question, 2020 is the year of the Nike Dunk. COMME des GARÇONS is set to keep the classic silhouette's lengthy victory lap rolling in top-tier fashion with a duo of Dunk Lows, both of which have been teased, anticipated, and speculated over since debuting at the brand's PFW show in September 2019. Arriving in both logo-printed and unadorned styles, each Dunk is built from a semi-translucent Nexkin woven stretch fabric that allows the wearer to add a measure of personalization by being subtle or vivid with their socks.
ROKIT x Converse Chuck 70
Release Date: May 14
Release Price: $110 USD
Where to Buy: Converse and HBX
Why You Should Cop: LA-based brand ROKIT attempts to combine the worlds of basketball and skateboarding. For its new Converse Chuck 70 collaboration, it's nodding to the surfaces basketball games and skate sessions take place on: blacktops and asphalt. This city-centric ethos is espoused with a patchwork-style upper blending various tonal textures, all held together with taped seams. If you look closely, you'll find plenty of ROKIT's signature flair spread around the midsole and outsole as well.
Jordan Delta "Vachetta Tan"
Release Date: May 14
Release Price: $150 USD
Where to Buy: Nike and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: Mixing artisanial craftsmanship and elegant tones with modern-day materials, the Jordan Delta "Vachetta Tan" is a step in a bold new direction for Jordan Brand's lifestyle products. Its Tom Sachs-esque tan tones and conceptual build are offset with a crisp mint green tongue/throat, while comfort is bolstered by a full-length React foam midsole. Most may think of Jordan Brand for retro Air Jordans or high-performance basketball shoes, but the Delta shows that the Jumpman is capable of pushing the envelope in the lifestyle sphere as well.
Stüssy x Nike Air Zoom Spiridon Cage 2 "Black/Cool Grey"
Release Date: May 14
Release Price: $160 USD
Where to Buy: Stüssy
Why You Should Cop: Following up its two-pack of popular Nike Air Zoom Spiridon Cage 2 collaborations from March, Stüssy is back with a new "Black/Cool Grey" model of the runner-turned-lifestyle silhouette. With a luxurious textile construction and stark two-tone color scheme, these Stüssy Spiridons have a head start on being named one of May's best releases.
Converse Chuck 70 Renew Hi and Ox "Tri-Color"
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: $95 USD (Hi) $90 (Ox)
Where to Buy: Converse and Asphalt Gold
Why You Should Cop: Converse's Renew line supplies stylish and sustainable silhouettes, the latest of which are a Chuck 70 Hi and Chuck 70 Ox "Tri-Color." With a trifecta of rich tones on each shoe, uppers and midsoles constructed of leftover factory fabric and a recycled rubber outsole, these conscious Chucks are ideal for the environmentally aware sneakerhead.
Nike Air Presto "Korea"
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: $130 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Accented with zebra stripes, national colors and the Taegeukgi symbol, the Nike Air Presto "Korea" is a vibrant homage to South Korea that matches the country's soccer kits. Its bold build also offers shades of the “Pusan Panthers” PE designed by Pusan American School students around the turn of the century — one of the rarest Prestos in existence. Colorful, collectable and country-centric, it's one of the week's most interesting releases.
Reebok Instapump Fury "City Pack"
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: ¥18,000 JPY (approximately $169 USD)
Where to Buy: atmos
Why You Should Cop: Reebok's Instapump Fury "City Pack" tacitly acknowledges the most important locales in Eastern street culture: Osaka, Tokyo, Shanghai and Seoul. Each pair in the four-shoe pack has city-centric branding on the heel plus special embellishments like coordinates and compass-shaped Pump buttons. This combines with a quartet of bold color schemes to provide the best-looking geography lesson you'll ever receive.
Stray Rats x New Balance 827
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: $156 USD
Where to Buy: Goodhood
Why You Should Cop: Stray Rats and New Balance are back cookin' up again, and for their latest project they're taking on the revitalized 827. Using an earthy brown base with bright green, red and purple accents, the design combines Stray Rats' flair for the dramatic with New Balance's elegant heritage construction. SR head honcho Julian Consuegra has even added a little dash of camo to the heel to round off the collaborative style. You'll need to be quick if you're looking to catch a pair: Stray Rats collabs don't stick around for long.
Nike Air Max 90 "Green Duck Camo"
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Air Max Day may be in the rearview mirror, but Nike isn't done with duck camo-equipped Air Max 90s just yet. The Air Max 90 "Green Duck Camo" melds fluorescent mesh and a desert camo print for a bold remix of a timeless Air Max style first brought to market by atmos in 2013.
adidas YEEZY 500 High "Tyrian"
Release Date: May 16
Release Price: $220 USD
Where to Buy: END. and YEEZY Supply
Why You Should Cop: Is it a basketball shoe? Is it a boot? It may be hard to place your finger on the type of sneaker Kanye West's adidas YEEZY 500 High "Tyrian" is, but one thing's for sure: there's nothing else on the market quite like it. With a striking mix of blue neoprene, black leather and brown suede, the "Tyrian" just may be one of West's most compelling 2020 drops yet.
Nike LeBron 7 "Media Day"
Release Date: May 16
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: Nike SNKRS and Foot Locker
Why You Should Cop: First revealed by LeBron James at the Lakers' media day in 2019, the LeBron 7 "Media Day" offers a mismatched style that's sure to delight Lakers fans from all walks of life. With inverse gold/purple and purple/gold accents on the left and right feet, respectively, these LA-centric Brons offer a vivid, regal style that's driven home further by speckled Air Max units and special lace deubres. Shoes fit for a king, indeed.
adidas UltraBOOST 1.0 "Triple White"
Release Date: May 17
Release Price: $180 USD
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: Kanye West first made the adidas UltraBOOST 1.0 "Triple White" famous in May 2015, so adidas has brought the beloved style back in all its original glory to commemorate the fifth anniversary of that memorable moment. A sneaker drop on Sunday is an undeniably uncommon occurrence, and what's even more rare about this UB is that it's a 1:1 replica of the original silhouette, even down to the track spike-like nubbed outsole. No frills, no modifications — just pure OG UB style that's sure to delight BOOST fans and 'Ye stans alike.
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