It’s time to close the door on November in style. This week’s best kicks utilize mostly futuristic design concepts with plenty of attention paid to colorways and materials. If you love new wave sneakers, this is the week that’s going to see you making some hard choices — as some of the best and most forwarding-thinking kicks of the entire year are all dropping all at once.
If you’re a shoe-classicist this might irk you. Luckily we were sure to include something for retro-heads too (chill out old man).
Personally, when it comes to futuristic silhouettes, I fit somewhere in the middle. I love that the sneaker world is taking chances and utilizing new technologies to bring us the shoes of tomorrow, even though I disagree with some design and material choices. Regardless, this week’s picks were mostly no-brainers. These are the five-best shoes dropping this week.
Nike React Element 55, size? Exclusive
Nike’s new React Element silhouettes are some of the best new designs to hit the sneaker world in some time, and this exclusive iteration of the React Element 55s give us more reason to love these new kicks. Sporting a synthetic nylon upper in a black and white grid design, the React 55s are overlaid with suede and synthetic leather with a spiral swoosh and touches of 3M reflective tape.
This iteration of the React Element 55 is exclusive to British retailer size?, but you can grab a pair — in men’s and women’s sizes — from the size? app, web store or at a size? physical store on November 29th. (Yes, that name is annoying to write.)
Off-White x Nike Zoom Fly SP
Featuring Virgil Abloh’s signature zip-tie and Off-White branding, this new take on the Zoom Fly SPs features translucent TPE material on the toe box and panels, a stretch-woven upper, and a bright orange tag on the swoosh. It comes in two polar-opposite-though-still-eye-catching colorways — opaque black or a statement-making tulip pink.
Because these are the newest Abloh designs out this year, expect these to fly off store-shelves or anticipate the increasingly popular raffle to buy. The Off-White x Nike Zoom Fly SPs drop November 28th and will retail for $170. Grab a pair at the Nike web store, SNS, or at Stadium Goods for the after-market price.
Adidas Ultra Tech “Shock Red”
Let’s face it, the Ultra Tech Vegetas could’ve been a hot shoe, if only it weren’t for their Dragon Ball Z gimmick ruining the design. But this stunning new “Shock Red” colorway for the Ultra Tech is here to save the day. Sporting an off-white mesh upper, tan and grey unbuckle panels, and a textured midsole, this design doesn’t have any corny branding weighing it down, giving you a design that looks good without any compromise.
The Adidas Ultra Tech in “Shock Red” are out now and can be scooped up at Titulo for about $139.
Adidas Consortium Zx4000 Futurecraft
Featuring Adidas Futurecraft 4D-printed cushioning system, multi-mesh layering, neon accents atop a mint mid-sole, the Adidas Consortium ZX4000s may telegraph the future of three-stripes silhouettes. These particular kicks were specially designed to be extremely light and flexible and they look it. Coming in a red/black/cyan colorway, these future shoes, unfortunately, come with a future price of $350. It’s steep, but if you’re a collector you definitely want to pick these up.
The Adidas Consortium ZX4000 Futurecraft will drop on November 30th and can be picked up at Nice Kicks or select Adidas Consortium dealers.
Adidas Stan Smith “Stan Forever”
We thought it’d be nice to take a break from future-looking silhouettes and close with this classic. Not much has changed about the Stan Smith silhouette since its introduction in the early ’70s, and that’s because its simplistic design is almost perfect — a true testament to Adidas skill. This special edition sports gold foil branding, and a Stan Smith hand-scribbled #stansmithforever on the heel, as well as a message from the tennis legend on both insoles. Small as these touches may be, they add an extra-special edge to an already great shoe.
The Adidas Stan Smith “Stan Forever” editions commemorate the silhouettes 40th anniversary and will drop on December 1st for about $112 at select Adidas retailers and Solebox.
