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Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. It’s springtime, so if you didn’t spend the last two weeks anywhere near Coachella, it’s time to hit the beach, grab a milkshake, and maybe take a trip to the market to stock up for your Cinco De Mayo cookout — which means you’re going to need some cool kicks to rock while you do it!
(Look, we’ll take any excuse we can to buy new sneakers, it’s that SNX mentality. Give me any random season, holiday, or event, and I’ll find a way to justify why new sneakers are needed.)
This week the drops are back in full force after last week’s slump. We’ve got new AF-1s, some spring-centric footwear, a few restocks, and Nike’s 2022 Doernbecher Freestyle collection. Let’s dive into this week’s eight best sneaker drops.
Converse X Golf Wang By You Collection
For 24 hours beginning on April 28th, Converse will be giving Tyler the Creator’s Golf Wang label the By You treatment, allowing fans to customize a pair of Chuck 70s using iconography and patterns from the Golf Wang archive. The logos and customizable aspects can be built on six different color bases including black, gold, red, blue, green, and egret. If you’ve ever wanted your own custom Golf Wang sneakers, now is the time — make sure you hit this short window.
The converse By You x Golf Wang Chuck 70 will be customizable at the Converse webstore on April 28th at 10 am EST. The shoes will retail for $85.
Air Force 1 Mid University Red and Midnight Navy
Let’s be real, rocking red, white, and blue sneakers in 2022 is a bit like wearing a red baseball cap or writing “patriot” in your social media bio. If you do these things, people are going to make assumptions about you. But it’s time to take back this classic three-color combination because I mean, just look at this Air Force 1 Mid colorway!
University Red swooshes adorn a white leather upper with midnight blue paneling over a translucent outsole with a mid-rise collar, it’s an unbeatable combo! How are you not going to love these? Do they look like something Forrest Gump would wear? Absolutely, but we’d like to point out that they… look like something Forrest Gump would wear. Pretty cool.
The Air Force 1 Mid University Red and Midnight Navy is set to drop on April 28th for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Air Force 1 Mid Ale Brown
If you’re not feeling the red, white, and blue colorway of the mid-top AF-1 Nike is also dropping an Ale Brown version with metallic brown paneling over the same white leather upper with rusty orange Swooshes and a slightly off-white aged midsole.
On the one hand, it’s not red, white, and blue, but on the other hand, you don’t get that translucent outsole and super clean design. This pair is probably a bit more wearable as an everyday option thanks to its neutral colors. Compromises!
The Air Force 1 Mid Ale Brown is set to drop on April 28th for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Air Jordan 13 Navy
If you’re all about luxury and comfort then this week’s Air Jordan 13 Navy is a must-cop. Featuring a dimpled mesh Navy Upper, the Air Jordan 13 Navy looks supremely luxurious to the eye, but thanks to its lightweight and flexible mesh upper, it puts comfort at the forefront while still looking great.
The sneaker features a black nubuck mudguard, a tumbled leather toe box, and embroidered Jumpman details in University Blue. Another week, another great Jordan drop.
The Air Jordan 13 Navy is set to drop on April 29th for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app and aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
Women’s Air Jordan 11 Low Pure Violet
Throughout SNX history we’ve been applauding Nike for finally paying attention to people who wear women’s size shoes by giving them the brand’s best silhouettes in some of the best colorways in recent memory. Good job Nike, but now it’s not really novel anymore so this is the last time we’re going to mention it, but someone should tell Adidas and pretty much every other sneaker brand to step it up.
This week’s Pure Violet is pure class. Featuring a white mesh upper with leather overlays in a soothing light lavender colorway, this spring sneaker sits atop an icy translucent outsole and has a certain calming aesthetic about it. We couldn’t think of a better sneaker to rock on a beautiful spring day.
The Women’s Air Jordan 11 Low Pure Violet is set to drop on April 28th for a retail price of $190. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like Flight Club.
Nike Doernbecher Freestyle Collection
Nike’s annual partnership with Doernbecher’s Children’s Hospital, the Doernbecher Freestyle series, is dropping this week and truthfully, the entire collection is dope. If you can cop any of these this week, it’s a win, but we’d like to put a spotlight on our favorite of this year’s lineup, Michael’s Air Jordan 5 Retro Low.
A love for airplanes, sharks, and Mac ’n’ cheese combine for a sneaker that looks like something straight out of Kyrie Irving’s Nike output, it’s in step with modern sneaker design and the color combination along with details like the embroidered branding and the noodle graphics, work beautifully on top of that icy outsole.
The Doernbecher Freestyle collection is set to drop on April 30th. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Off-White Out Of Office
Off-White’s Out Of Office sneakers have received a re-stock! The Abloh-designed sneaker features a finished suede upper with a padded collar and off-white arrows in light blue. The sneaker comes in a worn pre-distressed style, with a dirty midsole and upper.
The Off-White Out Of Office sneakers is out now for a retail price of $513. Pick up a pair via Off-White retailers like HBX.
Patta x Mephisto Sam Sandal
It’s springtime, if you haven’t made your way to a beach you need to get on that ASAP. Even if you’re living in a landlocked state, take a road trip to your nearest sandy shore and soak in the sun. And while you do that, you’re going to need a good sandal, because there are few worse things you can do to a pair of Jordans than get sand in them.
Luckily Patta is coming through by linking up with Mephisto for the Sam Sandals. The sandals feature Patta branding over a leather build with a non-slip sole in a green, cream, and brown colorway. The sneaker sits on top of SOFT-AIR technology, which is designed to keep you comfortable in all types of terrain, from natural to urban.
The Patta x Mephisto Sam Sandal is set to drop on April 29th for an unannounced price. Pick up a pair exclusively at Patta and the Patta webstore.
New Balance MADE in USA 990v1-3 Collection
2022 marks the 40th anniversary of New Balance’s 990 and in celebration of one of the label’s best silhouettes, New Balance is dropping a special premium collection of versions one through three of the design. All three versions feature the same vintage grey, beige, and olive colorway and a premium pigskin suede and mesh upper.
If you’re wondering why these 990s look so damn good, it probably has to do with the fact that it’s the first collection by New Balance’s new creative director Teddy Santis, aka the founder of Aimé Leon Dore, a label that probably deserves at least 95% of the credit for why New Balance is so popular right now.
The New Balance MADE in USA 990v1-3 collection is set to drop on April 28th for a retail range of $189-$199. Pick up the V1 here, the V2 here, and the V3 here.
