words // Zac Dubasik
We've played actual good April Fools' pranks in the past here at Sole Collector. But this year, rather than telling you a Red October restock is happening this afternoon, or that prices are scheduled to start dropping soon, we've decided to take a different approach.
This time we're taking a look at some sneakers, and sneaker happenings, that we wish were April Fools' jokes, but are, in fact, reality. This isn't a list of "bad shoes" necessarily (although there are some of those too), but a list of shoes that for one reason or another, seem hard to believe, whether it's the price, backstory or just being flat-out ugly.
Take a look through our list, and let us know which shoes you wish were just a prank.
Nike Foamposite “Weatherman Pack”
The Foamposite was an all-time classic. While it originally only released in one colorway, every Retro edition had been a hit, selling out easily despite their steep prices. And then the Weatherman Pack happened.
Nike LeBron 11 Elite
On past editions of Nike's Elite series, the extra cash got you things like more carbon fiber and updated cushioning units. But on the LeBron 11 Elite, not only is there no added carbon fiber, but the entire shoe looks more like a takedown than a premium edition.
AJF Collection (Fusions)
Billed as "The Best Of Both Worlds," the Jordan Fusion line combined classic Air Jordan silhouettes with the Air Force 1. The result was something that appeared to be straight out of the bootleg factory, that didn't work as either a Jordan or an AF1.
Nike Air Force 1 Low CMFT LW GP SIG (The Glove)
Despite the failure and almost universal distain felt for the Jordan Fusion series, the concept was basically revisited this past year with the release of The Glove edition of the AF1. And retail was $180. To the surprise of no one (except maybe the people responsible for this shoe at Nike), a shrouded Air Force 1 was as bad in reality as it was in person.
adidas Rose 3
For $110, you got a foam cushioning, SPRINTFRAME construction, and a synthetic upper on the Rose 2. For $50 more, you got pretty much that same construction, with the exception of a leather upper, on the Rose 3. Oh yeah, and it came with a keychain too. On a shoe that was never going to be worn by D Rose. The $160 price tag was as flawed from the start as it gets.
Reebok Kamikaze “Letter of Intent”
If you were told that a shoe was created which honored the school an athlete had signed a letter-of-intent to attend, and then didn’t due to accusations of stealing two gold chains from the head coach’s son, you’d have to think it was a joke. Yet that was the exact situation that led to Shawn Kemp not actually playing for UK.
Reebok Kamikaze “OKC”
The Supersonics exit from Seattle and relocation to Oklahoma City was far from amicable. Which means that it’s basically insulting to recreate a signature shoe of a Sonics player in Thunder colors.
Reebok Rail “South Beach”
Resale prices of the South Beach LeBron 8s likely took a hit following the loss of cool points suffered as the “South Beach” colorway was once again beat into the ground – this time at the hands of the Reebok Rail. Could a Red October version be next?
Stamp’d Steezy Hi
It’s been almost four years since images of the Steezy Hi hit the net, and we’re still not entirely sure they weren’t a joke. But since it happened in June, it qualifies for this list, since it wasn’t April Fools’ related whether it was a joke or not.
Raising Retro Prices
In 2007, standard Air Jordan Retro 3s retailed for $125. Sure, that’s a 25% increase over their original price of $100 in 1988, but it took close to 20 years to hit that mark. In just the seven years since, they’ve now hit the $170 mark, which is a 36% increase. While not April Fools related, the joke is definitely on us.
