2021 is officially here. While the year that just passed was tough in all respects, it didn’t slow down sneakers a single bit when it came to sought after products.
As the new year begins, January usually serves as a reset button for both brands and shoppers. Following the holiday season, the big companies take the time to let buyers recoup from the holiday shopping surge and look to get new silos and new stories off the ground. This first full week of January is all about that. From archival ACG influence not seen in years to performance basketball debuts, this month will be less about hype with releases gradually heating up each week.
Get the insight behind new stories the brands are beginning to tell in the latest Sole Facts.
1/4
Nike SB Dunk High “Baroque Brown”
- Touching down during the 1985-86 NCAA basketball season, the Nike Dunk has since seen its wings spread to lifestyle and skateboarding takes. Officially crossing over to skateboarding in 2002, this “Baroque Brown” Nike SB Dunk High is amongst the first SB releases of 2021.
- This pair is composed from vegan leather which is an intriguing sustainable look for the SB Dunk that should reign over 2021. It also features the familiar Brown/Green palette, best known as Beef & Broccoli in the boot and footwear scene.
- Starting January 4th, these pairs are said to start popping up at select skate shots with Nike SB accounts.
1/6
Nike Women’s Lahar Low
- The Nike Lahar Low is a new silo with old roots. Inspired by the Nike ACG Lahar Escape Boot from 1989, this women’s exclusive packs all the DNA of a boot – sturdy D-ring eyelets, two-tone laces, a thick, traction focused sole – into a build that hits below the ankle.
- Though modern in its inception, the chunky, below ankle boot with smooth styling on the upper proved popular by way of brands like Lugz in the late ‘90s.
- Over the past decade, Nike has reinvented their ACG – All Conditions Gear – line in numerous ways. The Lahar suggests the brand leaning back into heritage but doing so in a decidedly lifestyle manner.
Jordan Why Not Zer0.4 “Upbringing”
- The Jordan Why Not Zer0.4 is the latest signature shoe for Russell Westbrook and his first as a member of the Washington Wizards.
- Like previous Westbrook signatures, the shoe is defined in performance by an aggressive sole stacked with Zoom Air cushioning and top notch traction. Up top, patchwork ethos and cut-sew overlays reflect Russ’s wild fashion sense.
- This “Upbringing” pair is a collage colorway in the same spirit as “What the” releases. Rather than draw from themes derived from previous shoes, this pair instead stacks nods to Westbrook’s growing up in LA from his childhood teams to the places that shaped him.
1/8
Stray Rats x New Balance 574 “Green” & “Red”
- The New Balance 574 is amongst the most revered and released models in the brand’s rich history. Created for running in the 1980s, the shoe has been a staple in the lifestyle realm at some point in every decade since.
- Established in 2010 and based in Miami, Stray Rats has collaborated on footwear recently with Vans and previously with New Balance on the likes of the 990v3 and 827.
- Over the years, the New Balance 574 has seen collaboration from Junya Watanabe, Burn Rubber, mita, Ronnie Fieg, Sneaker Freaker, Concepts, SNS and others.
Nike Air Max 95 NDSTRKT “Neon”
- Nike designer Sergio Lozano made the leap from ACG and tennis to that of running with the task of the Air Max 95. Lozano’s lens on the annual Air Max was a departure from previous pairs as Nike Running wanted to bring in new blood and take a risk.
- New for 2020 and 2021, the Nike Air Max NDSTRKT is yet another evolved take on the mid ‘90s classic. Both deconstructed and reconstructed for an ‘indestructible’ update, the NDSTRKT name references a bold line of basketball introduced by Nike in the same era led by Dennis Rodman. Like Rodman, the shoes were meant to be wild and tough.
- This left turn on the Air Max 95 sheds its infamous gradient upper and instead exposes the eye stays in elongated fashion to further tell the story of the shoe’s ‘rib cage’ inspiration. For added edge and protection, a TPU shell wraps around the upper and toe box to take on the elements.
Air Jordan 35 “Black/Red”
- The Air Jordan 35 is the latest model in Michael Jordan’s long running line of signature shoes. Credited to designer Tate Kuerbis, who also worked on Air Jordans 31-34, the model continues to build off the Eclipse Plate technology introduced on the Air Jordan 34.
- First seen in the 2020 NBA Bubble and WNBA Bubble, the Air Jordan 35 has been worn by the likes of Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, PJ Tucker, Kia Nurse, Kemba Walker, Zion Williamson and countless others.
- This “Bred” rendition pays tribute to the Black/Red theme that was banned in the NBA by way of Michael Jordan’s Air Ship PE and became a favorite on nearly every Air Jordan to follow. Over the course of the 2020-21 NBA season, newly signed Jordan Brand athlete Caris LeVert of the Brooklyn Nets has been leading this colorway for the 35 which features a nod to the OG Air Jordan 5 on the 3M tongues.
1/9
Air Jordan 1 OG High “Volt/University Gold”
- The Air Jordan 1 was designed in 1984 by Peter Moore and debuted the same year by a rookie Michael Jordan. Following MJ’s wear in a Rookie of the Year season, controversial commercial and his All-Star Weekend/Dunk Contest debut, the shoe would release to the world on April 1, 1985 to rave reviews and could not be kept on shelves.
- The Air Jordan 1 OG High “Volt Gold” is the latest retro release of the Air Jordan 1 to relay the original branding and cut favored by the ‘85 favorite. This pair explores inside-out and DIY ethos introduced to the model by Virgil Abloh. For starters, the tongue tagging is reversed, the ankle collar is exposed foam, all capped off with a pre-aged aesthetic appearing below the laces and on the sail midsole.
- Like other lifestyle favorites, this pair lightly riffs off the “Black Toe” color blocking for familiarity. In addition, added emphasis on the ankle overlay could be preparing consumers for a run of AJKO releases said to be set for spring.
Image 1 via WALLS General Store
Images via 2 – 3 and 5 – 7 via Nike
Image 4 via Stray Rats