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Yeehaw! Get ready for a wild ride as Crocs and retail company Huckberry team up to create something sort of… unexpected. The classic ruggedness of Western boots and the comfort of Crocs meld together for one boot-scootin’ pair of kicks. Its stitching, color, and texture were made to resemble ranch roper boots, giving it an authentic Americana feel without forgoing comfort. All it’s missing now is a pair of foam spurs and we’re off to the rodeo! The boots also come with their own accessories, including a carabiner, rope, whistle, canteen, and five Jibbitz because even if you might be wrangling horses in the mud, there’s always an opportunity to look stylish. Read full article

Images via Nike Want shoes that look as-new all the time? Don’t get white sneakers, or even the sort you can wash dirt off easily. Get a pre-tattered style that retains its original appeal even after you’ve immersed it in mud and grass. Although Nike’s ISPA Mindbody kicks were released last year, they’re getting media attention again due to their counterintuitively timeless look. The best way to describe them, with their charred elements and misshapen fit, is post-apocalyptic. Read full article

There are shoes for nearly everything, with designers recently unveiling sneakers mirroring bullet trains, basketball shoes crafted out of leather, and footwear based on the sketches of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Now, outdoor equipment brand Cub Cadet has offered fans a sneak peek at a one-of-a-kind pair of shoes that promises comfort while cutting grass. Yup, the company will soon be launching its limited-edition ‘Ultimate Lawn Mowing Shoes’, known as ‘The Ultimas’. As its name implies, the sneakers, created by lead footwear designer Omar Bailey, were inspired by the brand’s Ultima Series lawn mower. This translates into fashion as a black and yellow shoe with a water-resistant upper—ensuring the kicks stay grass-stain-proof even when mowing. Read full article

Sportswear giant Adidas offers customers a myriad of sneakers—be it for running, training in the gym, or even a night out on the town. With summer quickly approaching, the German retailer has decided to turn one of its most popular shoes, the Stan Smiths, into a chunky slip-on sandal. At first glance, the adiForm Stan Smith Mule may not resemble its namesake in the slightest. But upon closer inspection, keen-eyed fans will probably notice details that honor the famed silhouette, such as its streamlined upper and heel cap. The platform sole gives the sandals a height boost not seen on the original iteration of the Stan Smiths. Shoppers can choose from a variety of six colorways, all of which have been produced using natural, renewable materials in accordance with the brand’s sustainability pledge. Read full article

It’s no secret that most of us spend hours on end staring at a computer screen. To help visually-impaired developers, or those who struggle with low vision, technology giant Intel has made available a new open-sourced typeface collection focused on clarity and readability. Titled the ‘Intel One Mono’, the group of fonts—created in partnership with type design firm Frere-Jones Type and creative agency VMLY&R—is now accessible for free. Overall, the typeface aims to make code more legible, deter eye strain, and hopefully combat developer fatigue. To ensure the resulting collection would work, the collaborators tapped on a panel of low-vision and legally blind developers to test the typefaces and give feedback throughout the process. The team incorporated several design characteristics into the font to distinguish it from others. Read full article

We’re just a little a month away from the Barbie movie, and collaborations are running wild in the fashion sphere. Many brands are now taking the opportunity to embrace their inner ‘Barbiecore’—a trendy term used to describe someone who is channeling their own inner Barbie by taking fashion cues from the famed doll. Superga is next up on the list of companies to do just that with a line of four sneakers inspired by the upcoming movie. The shoe that stands out (literally) the most in the collection is an eye-catching pair of three-inch platform sneakers with a hot pink base and Superga’s iconic canvas silhouette on top. It has the Barbie ‘B’ logo on a cloud at the rainbow’s end, and if you do decide to step into these sky-high kicks, you could be walking on cloud nine yourself. The rest of the lineup is a little tamer, with a classic 2750 cotton canvas white sneaker with hot pink eyelets and three lace pins, including a flamingo floaty, her iconic skates, and the ‘B’ logo. Read full article

To allow female soccer players’ skills to shine through, Nike recently launched the Phantom Luna—its first-ever soccer boot created especially for women athletes. The special footwear was crafted with insights from professionals for “those obsessed with perfecting their craft.” One of the cleat’s highlights is its Nike Cyclone 360 traction pattern, which helps players make quick and agile movements so they can cut through the field with speed and force while never slipping up during important moments. In addition, the shoe’s Amplified Touch comprises the Nike Gripknit to ensure a stickier, better touch. The brand has expanded the material to cover the first two laces of the shoe, giving players extra surface area with which to control the direction of the ball. Read full article

While sneakerheads all over the globe have their eyes locked on the re-release of Adidas x YEEZY, the sportswear giant has another release in the works that demands some attention. Soon, customers can get their hands on the revamped ‘Harlem’, a design not seen in nearly 40 years. Staying true to the original design, which was created in the 1980s, the basketball shoes maintain all the trademark details from the nostalgic bygone era, including white leather uppers and beige suede mudguard overlays for a classic vintage look. In addition, the usual three-stripes logo has been redesigned to feature vibrant blue gradients, topped off with the brand’s Centennial Low soles that promise the same comfort and agility found in other popular models. Read full article

Image via Onitsuka Tiger / PR TIMES Onitsuka Tiger is unleashing a sleek trio of sneakers that trainspotters might be able to catch sight of from 199 mph away. A close collaboration with the West Japan Railway Company and travel brand Terroir Tabi, the footwear—revving on the Mexico 66 GDX silhouette—rides on the Shinkansen, or Japanese bullet train, as inspiration. More specifically, the shoes pay tribute to three styles of Shinkansen that can be seen passing through Hyogo, the prefecture of Onitsuka Tiger’s home city of Kobe. Read full article

Nearly two years ago, Balenciaga made a splash with its ultra-chunky Defender sneakers, which have quickly become a staple among streetwear enthusiasts. With studs wrapped all the way from the outsole to the midsole, it’s hard to miss these tire-like shoes. If the original wasn’t intriguing enough, it appears the fashion label has come up with a new, “worn-out” edition of the kicks. This time, however, it’s taking the term rather literally, with the shoes ditching the clean white hue for a deliberately dirty appearance. Caked in mud, the latest shoes offer scuff marks, stained laces, a soiled tongue, and ratty liners to push the envelope on the popular “distressed” aesthetic. Of course, it’s still a luxury Balenciaga product and will feature the label’s embossed branding—not that anyone will be able to spot it. Read full article

Photo 66570500 © Liorpt | Dreamstime.com Buying anything on eBay can sometimes be a gamble, especially when it comes to those vintage Air Jordans you’ve got your eye on. An authentication scheme was introduced for luxury handbags in 2021, and now it is expanding to streetwear. eBay has remained a go-to site for finding all sorts of goods, from memorabilia to luxury items. But as with buying anything from strangers online, there comes a risk. Between 2019 and 2022, the commerce company noted increased purchases of its luxury items after introducing a program called Certified by Brand, which allowed buyers to rest assured that they were getting a genuine product. The streetwear-focused Authenticity Guarantee program is available for all goods in the category being bought and sold in the US. eBay has assembled a team of professionally trained authenticators that will go through each item via a physical inspection and use advanced technical equipment down at the company’s New Jersey facility. In order for products to receive a professional guarantor tag, they must be from brands like BAPE, Supreme, Off-White, Aimé Leon Dore, Palace, and others and be priced at over US$200.The service will also cross over six categories: sneakers, watches, handbags, jewelry, motors, and trading cars. [via WWD and Hypebeast, cover photo 66570500 © Liorpt | Dreamstime.com]

Nike and Jacquemus have teamed up once again to create a fresh sneaker collaboration. Building on their previous success with the Air Humara, this time, they have set their sights on reimagining the iconic Air Force 1. The upper half of the shoe retains the familiar silhouette, featuring a perforated leather toe box, laces, and a silver dubrae adorned with ‘JF1’. However, a notable change is visible when glancing at the midsole. The traditional base has been replaced with a woven component, seamlessly connecting the top and bottom halves of the footwear, with what looks like the same material used for the laces. In addition to its distinctive design, the jagged sole of the kicks takes inspiration from the Nike ACG Terras, which the designer himself claims are his “fav shoes ever” in an Instagram post announcing the collaboration. Read full article

Image via Prada Group The soccer pro now wears Prada, thanks to a surprising new tie-up between the Italian luxury house and Adidas. The sleek adidas Football for Prada line bakes the sophisticated design codes and craftsmanship of Prada’s Linea Rossa into the sportswear giant’s beloved, high-performance Predator Accuracy, Copa Pure, and X Crazyfast cleats. Read full article

Previously, Adidas finally laid out plans on how to deal with the US$1.3 billion worth of unsold YEEZY sneakers in its locker. The sportswear giant found itself saddled with boxes and boxes of unsold merchandise after its lucrative partnership with Kanye West came to an abrupt end. Instead of simply destroying all the leftover footwear, which would be a sustainability nightmare for the ages, the company decided to sell off the remaining stock and donate the profits to organizations that were hurt by Kanye’s anti-semitic and racist statements. Now, it appears Adidas has worked everything out, as it recently announced the organizations that will benefit from the sale of the popular collection. The firm said that proceeds will go to the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change. Read full article

Image via Wikimedia Commons {{PD-US-expired}} Could the first ambassador of a Nike campaign have been born over three centuries ago? Portrait of a Boy (1652) is touted to be one of the finest portraits by Dutch master Ferdinand Bol. The scene depicts an eight-year-old boy dressed spiffily with a wide-brimmed hat, gray suit and matching cloak, and gold buttons on his attire. A rather surprising gesture shows him reaching out his arm to grab a goblet filled with wine. Read full article