Welcome to SNX DLX, our weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the market. The summer sneaker season is still burning hot as we’re hit with another jam-packed week full of great shoes and notable sneaker collaborations. This week, Nike drops Aleali May’s latest highly anticipated sneaker release, her second big release of the year, as well as a whole bunch of SB Dunks and Air Max sneakers.
But Adidas isn’t slouching either, the three-stripes is hitting us with a one-two punch that includes new Yeezy’s and Bad Bunny’s latest sneaker drop, and — considering Kanye remains one of the biggest names in sneakers with Bad Bunny trailing very closely behind — we’re actually going to go ahead and say Adidas has the better output this time around. We have all of that and more from New Balance, Kids of Immigrants, and Vans.
Let’s dive into this week’s best sneakers!
Bad Bunny Adidas Forum Low Back To School
It’s doubtful that any other musician will ever surpass Kanye West in the footwear game but right now there is a fierce battle over the second-place spot. Putting your money on Travis Scott makes sense, but Bad Bunny, just three sneakers in, is coming up fast. Travis may have Nike and Jordan on his side, but Bad Bunny has been able to create a lot of noise by utilizing a single Adidas silhouette, and an underappreciated one at that.
For his third sneaker drop, Bad Bunny is giving the Forum Buckle Low the triple black treatment with this stylishly stealthy take. Following a coffee-colored design and a triple pink iteration, the triple black features a mixed upper of leather and suede and sits atop a black rubber cupsole, with a wraparound cord lacing system, and Bad Bunny iconography throughout.
The triple black Bad Bunny Adidas Forum Low Back To School is out now for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair at your favorite aftermarket site.
Women’s Nike Dunk Low Purple Pulse/Yellow Strike
Nike is continuing its campaign to cater to more WMNS-sized sneakerheads out there, almost every week they drop a new colorway of one of their classic silhouettes, and this week, they’re dropping two! The WMNS-exclusive Dunk Low Purple Pulse and Yellow Strike combine the SB Dunk construction we can’t seem to get enough of with over-dyed leather uppers that give each sneaker’s paneling a sort of acid-wash vibe. Keep ‘em coming, Nike!
The Women’s exclusive Dunk Low Purple Pulse and Yellow Strike are set to drop on August 18th for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or grab the Purple Pulse, which are already up at GOAT.
Kids of Immigrants x Vans ‘Anything Is Possible’
Los Angeles-based streetwear brand Kids of Immigrants consistently drops some of the best Vans collaborations and this solid partnership is continuing this week with the release of the ‘Anything Is Possible’ pack. The sneaker features an asymmetrical design that combines shearling, corduroy, velvet, leather, and some very subtle paisley designs along the upper.
The sneaker’s insole is inspired by Chinese laundry bags and the design sits atop a yellow sole that is meant to recall household lampshades, both are callbacks to Kids of Immigrant’s earliest days when the brand was still being run out of the apartment of co-founders Daniel Buezo and Weleh Dennis. It’s a dope design and feels like a victory lap for a brand that continues to grow and best itself every year.
The Kids of Immigrants x Vans ‘Anything is Possible’ is set to drop on August 20th at the Kids of Immigrants webstore. Hit up Greenhouse today to get early access.
Nike Air Max Pre-Day Light Bone/Chlorophyll
As much as we love Nike — and if you follow SNX weekly, that’s pretty damn clear — the brand doesn’t take a whole lot of chances. It’s easy to drop amazing colorways of a Jordan 1-4, it’s easy to reimagine the Dunk, it’s easy to introduce yet another Air Force 1… but when will we get something new that’s actually, you know, worth wearing?
The Air Max Pre-Day is the Swoosh’s attempt at changing the game. It combines old Nike track aesthetics with a sleek and modern shape and is constructed with 20% recycled content by weight. It lands on a happy middle ground between Nike’s futuristic and sustainable Space Hippie line and another one of their classic silhouettes, the Air Max. This week it’s dropping in two colorways, Light Bone (which is our favorite) and a more in-your-face Chlorophyll colorway, which combines deep green with a peach Nike swoosh.
The Air Max Pre-Day Light Bone and Chlorophyll are set to drop on August 18th for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Women’s Air Jordan 14 Aleali May Fortune
Aleali May is the Virgil Abloh of the ‘20s. While she hasn’t had a big career-defining release like Abloh’s “The Ten” she’s been dropping hit after hit with her bold reimaginings of Air Jordans, this week she’s taking on the often ignored Jordan 14.
The WMNS-exclusive Fortune features a Light Sand colorway over an all-over hairy suede upper with metallic gold and jade detailing. Like all of Aleali May’s sneakers, this design is personal, the gold and jade accents are a reference to the first piece of jewelry the designer ever received, a gift from her grandmother. By continuing to infuse her own life experience into her sneakers, May brings a lot of heart and personality to her designs, that’s a rarity in modern sneaker designers.
The Women’s Air Jordan 14 Aleali May Fortune is set to drop on August 19th for a retail price of $190. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Nike Dunk High 1985 Red Acid Wash
If you’ve got big feet and you’re throwing a fit at those dope acid-wash WMNS-exclusive Dunks, Nike didn’t forget about you, so chill. Arguably the best Dunk to drop this week, the Red Acid Wash features a high top design that borrows its shape from the 1985 iteration of the SB Dunk High (when it was still just a basketball shoe) and features a grey leather underlay over panels of acid-washed University Red with a yellowed midsole and a thick padded collar.
The Nike Dunk High 1985 Red Acid Wash is set to drop on August 19th for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Adidas Adicross ZX Primeblue Spikeless Golf Shoes
Adidas has this tendency to drop really dope golf shoes, which is cool I guess, but the problem is that they have spikes and you can’t wear them on the streets. Which, sorry for your golf players out there, makes them absolutely useless to me. But Adidas has heard my crying because now they’re dropping a spikeless version of their Adicross ZX Primeblue Golf Shoes, and it’s everything I could’ve asked for.
Featuring a textile upper with EVA cushioning atop a BOOST midsole, the Adicross ZX is designed with energy return in mind giving each of your steps a nice bounce regardless of what terrain you’re working with. You can hit the course, and then enter the real world after without an outfit change.
The sneaker drops in two colorways, the understated Halo Mint and Cloud White makeup and a more eye-catching Cloud White, Core Black, and Orbit Indigo makeup. Both colorways are made using recycled material from Parley Ocean Plastic.
The Adidas Adicross ZX Primeblue Spikeless Golf Shoes are set to drop on August 20th for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair at the Adidas webstore.
New Balance 2002R Protection Pack
If you haven’t been paying attention to modern fashion — which is easy giving the Delta variant pushing us back home — you might not have noticed that streetwear is being heavily influenced by the stylings of the Y2K era. New Balance is capitalizing on this wave by reimagining the MR2002 sneaker with the new 2002R. The 2002R features an upper of mixed suede and mesh, making it much more lightweight than the original, with an improved impact-absorbing midsole with added arch support.
The sneaker expertly combines the shape of ‘00s footwear with modern touches. Check out that deconstructed upper! The 2002R will drop in three nature-inspired colorways, the greyscale Rain Cloud, the moody and dark Phantom colorway, and our favorite, an almost all-white pair dubbed Sea Salt.
The New Balance 2002R Protection Pack is set to drop on August 20th for a retail price of $130 per pair. Pick up your favorite colorway at the New Balance webstore.
Air Jordan 12 Utility
This week Nike is showing some love to the last truly great Jordan design (don’t come for me in the comments) with the Jordan 12 Utility. Featuring an outsole composed of 3% recycled scrap from used sneakers, the Utility features a ballistic mesh tongue, with a premium leather upper and nubuck mudguard.
It’s interesting to see Nike give a Jordan the sustainable treatment, while it’s only in the outsole it’s a positive step in the right direction.
The Air Jordan 12 Utility is set to drop on August 21st for a retail price of 190. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or on the aftermarket at GOAT or Flight Club.
Adidas YEEZY Boost 350 V2 Light
What’s more likely to drop this weekend, the Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 Light or Ye’s Donda? Our money is on the sneakers which rumors place at an August 21st release. The V2 Light features a UV-sensitive upper that glows in a soft pink color when hit with the sunlight, the monofilament side stripe also darkens to a more amber color. Under artificial light, the sneakers will return to their yellow and Ivory make-up.
As frustrating as Kanye is these days, this is a pretty dope innovation to Ye’s best-selling Yeezy design.
The Adidas YEEZY Boost 350 V2 Light is set to drop on August 21st for a retail price of $220. Pick up a pair at Yeezy Supply or hit up GOAT.
Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.