We are in the midst of the holiday shopping season and any one of these pairs of kicks would make a truly great gift for the sneakerhead in your life. If you are the sneakerhead in your life, well, we think you should go ahead and treat yourself to a little something special. ‘Tis the season and all that.
This week is sure to pack a lot of hype by bringing a mix of retro silhouettes, a modern classic, and a deconstructed DIY Nike Blazer — ensuring the holiday shopping season is full of strong end of the year choices. We’re going to have to give the weekly sneaker-crown to Adidas though, who snagged three spots in our top five spots. Adidas is in the midst of re-releasing a whole round of classic and new colorways for their Ultra Boosts and they’re definitely worth checking out (one of them made this list).
Some good news: The best shoes of the week are still carrying a premium price tag, but it isn’t as bad as previous weeks, which will set your wallet — slightly — at ease. Without further ado, here are the five best sneakers dropping this week.
Adidas Ultra Boost 4.0 Triple Black
Go all-black-everything with these Adidas Ultra Boosts in Triple Black. Featuring a black primeknit upper with a black nubuck cage, black plastic heel counter, and a black Boost midsole, the Ultra Boost 4.0s are the Johnny Cash of sneakers. They look ultra-sleek and most importantly very comfy. The outsole features a blast of color with its red accent. So we guess they aren’t all black… if you’re an ant or some other ground-dwelling critter.
The Adidas Ultra Boost 4.0 Triple Blacks go on sale December 3rd at 10 a.m. eastern time, and will retail for $180. Grab a pair at the Adidas webstore or at select Adidas retailers.
Air Jordan IX Retro Concord
The Concord Air Jordan’s releasing this week are sure to have even non-sneakerheads drooling. The Concord colorway is legendary for collectors and fans of the shoe’s namesake, being the first pair of shoes worn by Michael Jordan on his return to the NBA after his first retirement, complete with the original number 45 on the heel tab — a sentimental reference to Jordan’s older brother’s number, which Mike wore post-comeback for a spell.
The Air Jordan IX Retro Concords drop on December 8th and will retail for $220 at select Jordan Brand stores and online.
Adidas ZX 4000
Another retro classic, these kicks implement a 1989 design with suede overlays on a nylon mesh upper and a dual-density EVA midsole with Torsion midfoot support. Adidas plans to release more retro sneakers from the ZX series this coming year, but the 4000s are kicking it all off in honor of the silhouette’s 30th anniversary.
The Adidas ZX 4000s drop December 8th and will retail for $136 at the Adidas online store and select Adidas retailers.
Adidas Rivalry Hi
Another retro basketball sneaker dropping this weekend, the Adidas Rivalry Hi checks all the boxes of 80’s revival aesthetics thanks to a collaborative release between Adidas and Eric Emanuel. Sporting cream-colored leather, earthy sepia three-stripes and branding, and an Eric Emanuel logo on the heel, the Rivalry Hi might just be our favorite high-top sneaker of the year.
The Adidas Rivalry Hi will drop on December 7th and will retail for $190 at the Adidas online store as well as select Adidas retailers.
Stüssy Nike SB Blazer Mid
You’ll love this cool collaboration between Stüssy and Nike if you’re the DIY type. The light tan distressed suede upper contrasted with a black wrap-around Nike Swoosh and Stüssy branding at the heel already looks great enough, but each pair will also come with a leopard print stencil, turning this simple pair of kicks into a weekend art project. Of course, if leopard print isn’t your thing the distressed suede is essentially a blank canvas and is perfect for your own unique designs so get creative with it!
The Stüssy Nike SB Blazer Mid is dropping on December 7th at 10 a.m. Grab a pair at all Chapter Stores, Dover Street Market Los Angeles and London, and Stüssy’s website. A price has yet to be announced.
