In terms of sneaker seasons, we are officially out of summer. After the big brands unleashed a pre-Labor day deluge of all-white sneakers last week, we’ve now entered a weird liminal space between summer and fall. That isn’t to say this week’s top-five isn’t dope, it just isn’t indicative of any season.
Dressing for the season is an easy way to up your style game, and without that seasonal framework, you might need some extra advice to kick the new school year off looking your best. Luckily we’ve got you covered there. Here are the best sneakers out this week, featuring the second Adidas AriZona Iced Tea collection.
Air Jordan 1 Obsidian
We’ve shown a lot of love to the Air Jordan 1 silhouette in past SNX articles. The shoe is so popular that it’s become a bit of a challenge not to talk about each new colorway that drops, but we’ve tried to keep the sneaker off of the weekly top five to make room for newer designs with less legendary status. This isn’t one of those weeks.
This special Obsidian colorway of the Air Jordan 1 pays homage to Michael Jordan’s alma mater, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, by adopting the school’s light blue colors across the heel and throat strap and features an all-leather white upper with dark blue accents. This colorway is a must-have, one of the best Air Jordan 1 releases of all time.
The Air Jordan 1 Obsidian is set to drop on August 31st and will retail for $160. Pick up a pair at the Nike online store.
Air Jordan 1 Low PSG
Dropping exclusively in the Nike UK store, this Jordan collaboration with Paris Saint-Germain pays homage to the French capital and its beloved football club for a sleek take on the Jordan 1 silhouette. Featuring a black leather upper with an even darker pigmented wrap-around swoosh, the PSGs feature eye-catching “PANAME” branding — another word for Paris — and nods to Paris Saint Germain fans by including “ICI C’EST PARIS” across the sock liner, which is the team’s slogan and chant.
It’s a shame we don’t have a bigger appreciation for soccer here in the states, it might lead to more dope one-offs like this. Until then, we’ll have to rely on the power of the internet to pick up this type of exclusive.
The Air Jordan 1 Low PSGs are set to drop on August 28th and will retail for around $113. Pick up a pair through the Nike UK store.
Nike Daybreak Lavender Mist
Nike has just dropped a pack of three Daybreak colorways which in truth are all dope, but we’re going to have to give a special mention to the Lavender Mist colorway. Purple-toned sneakers aren’t an easy thing to pull off, but this Lavender Mist rendition of the Daybreaks just looks so damn good, easily coming off as more striking than the other two colorways in the pack.
While the Metallic Silver and Metallic Gold look equally sleek, it’s the use of the black swoosh that really elevates the Lavender Mist above the rest of the pack, giving the sneaker a more subtle design that doesn’t dip into gaudy metallic territory. Constructed of mixed nylon and suede and making use of a simple foam midsole and waffled outsole, the Lavender Mist continues the Daybreak’s tradition of eye-catching color combinations beautifully.
The Nike Daybreak pack is set to drop on August 28th and will retail for $100. Pick up a pair at the Nike online store.
Reebok Classic It’s A Man’s World
Inspired by the 2001 Reebok campaign, It’s A Woman’s World, this new WMNS sized Reebok Classic is part of a larger collection and a new creative platform out of Reebok entitled It’s A Man’s World, which seeks to celebrate women who are breaking standards and excelling in male-dominated industries.
Reebok has pulled together the talents of Jazerai Allen-Lord, Ebony Naomi Oshunrinde, Anhia Zaira Santana, Kimberly Drew, and Santa Poeze to collaborate on upcoming silhouettes out of the collection. But ahead of those collaborations, Reebok has launched new monochromatic colorways of their Club C, Workout, Freestyle Hi, and Classic Leather sneakers, the Classics being our hands-down favorite.
Sporting a full leather upper, die-cut EVA midsole, and an Iced rubber outsole, these Reebok Classic are ultra-clean, and the blue branding and orange accents are subtle touches that elevate an already beloved design. The upcoming collaborations will drop in unisex sizing, but these are only available in WMNS, to which we say, why Reebok?
The Reebok Classic It’s A Man’s World are set to drop on August 31st and will retail for $80. Pick up a pair at select retailers or the Reebok online store.
Adidas AriZona Iced Tea Collection II
Back in July, Adidas teamed up with AriZona Iced Tea for a special pop-up event that attracted such a large crowd it had to be canceled for safety reasons by the NYPD. The special Yung-1 and Continental 80 silhouettes from that event are now fetching prices upwards of $500 on eBay, but luckily Adidas and AriZona have teamed up for a second drop, which should satisfy the demand from super fans of both brands.
Admittedly, this collection, which utilizes the Continental Vulc silhouette, — and the Adilette slide, but we won’t talk about that — isn’t quite as dope as that first drop, but it still features a few pairs that are undeniably fresh and are deserving of adulation. The AriZona Green Tea with Ginseng, Lemon, Mucho Mango, and Watermelon flavors are all well represented here, each applying their iconic colors to the Continental Vulc silhouette, which features a mixed nubuck and canvas upper with a vulcanized rubber cup sole. Our favorite is hands down the pink-trimmed Green Tea with Ginseng.
The Adidas AriZona Iced Tea Collection II is set to drop on September 1st with each pair retailing for $90. Pick them up at the Adidas online store or select Adidas retailers.
