He’s a man of many emotions, many nights off and many expletives — but you can always depend on Rasheed Wallace for one thing: his beloved Air Force 1 Highs. We’ve seen him wearing the Varsity Royal/White/Black colorway throughout most of the regular season and now the NBA Playoffs, and Nike is planning to soon release that colorway along with three others. This set will release around the Holiday ‘08 timeline at Urban Accounts, but there’s no word yet on a confirmed Release Date or price. Judging from the ‘New Six’ Sheed AF1 High Supreme that released last year, they might potentially run you up to $275.

Air Force 1 High Supreme 335844 411 Varsity Royal/White/Black

Air Force 1 High Supreme 335844 061 Black/Varsity Red/Black

Air Force 1 High Supreme 335844 001 Black/Black/Varsity Red/Varsity Royal

Source: Kenlu

Japanese streetwear giant Hiroshi Fujiwara has collaborated numerous times with the Swoosh. This time he adds his touch to the Nike Zoom P-Rod II. This all white version features a nice colorful mix of rainbow accents which span many areas of the shoe including the heel, tongue tag and laces. The shoe also features Hiroshi’s signature on the tongue below his signature Fragment icon.

Expect these to be pretty limited, and they’re scheduled to release this Saturday, May 31st.

There seems to be no slowing down on the Fusion front from Jordan Brand, as pictures and release information were released on Jumpman23.com detailing six upcoming AJF3 colorways launching later this summer. Fusing the iconic Air Force 1 with the Air Jordan III, the AJF3 incorporates design language from both models along the upper’s overlays and features the III’s Cement Grey elephant print. It’s also worth mentioning that Jordan Brand re-did the AF1 tooling to allow for the Air Sole unit at the heel to be visible, ala the III.

AJF3 7.4.08 White/Metallic Silver/Black/Varsity Maize $150

AJF3 7.4.08 Flint Grey/Varsity Maize/Silver $150

AJF3 7.30.08 White/University Blue/Sunset $150

AJF3 7.30.08 Black/University Blue/Anthracite $150

AJF3 9.6.08 White/Fire Red/Cement Grey/Black $150

AJF3 9.6.08 Black/Fire Red/Cement Grey/White $150

(All Images Courtesy Jumpman23.com)

Every summer we’re hit with a new batch of releases from Jordan Brand, and this season you’ll have your choice between indoor or outdoor hoops shoes, a fresh new turf inspired trainer and a performance update to the Air Jordan X to commemorate the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There’s even a new hybrid Jordan, this time celebrating Michael’s six championships.

The Jordan Six Rings, releasing in mid-August, combines the Air Jordan VI, VII, VIII, XI, XII, XIII and XIV all into one shoe set to retail for $150. Those models, of course, were worn by Michael during his six championship runs throughout the 1990s. The recognizable XIII tooling makes up the midsole and outsole, and the iconic XI upper can be seen in the black patent leather rand and black cordura mesh panel. The top two eyelets are inspired by the VIII and XII, with a portion of the VIII strap and XII lace clip providing a snug fit along the collar. The XII’s tongue text also is seen, as ‘TWO3′ is spelled vertically along the Six Rings’ tongue. There’s perforations from the VII along the patent overlay, and the VI can be seen in the rubberized heel pull tab and removable lace lock along the tongue. While subtle, the XIV actually inspired the toe’s shape, as at the bottom of the lacing set-up, the shape of the Six Rings draws from the XIV’s toe cap. Designed by Octavio Lubrano, the Six Rings is yet another hybrid concept building upon the success of the Dub Zero and Spiz’ike. Love it or hate it, the hybrid models appear to be here to stay.

In keeping with this year’s Italian design and craftsmanship theme that helped inspire the intricate stitch patterns found on the Air Jordan XX3, the Dentro and Esterno, both designed by Justin Taylor, will be released as a way of creating two opposite shoes that share a similar design language and inspiration. The Dentro, Italian for “inside,” is meant for hardwood use, while the Esterno, Italian for “outer,” is geared towards the blacktop. Both shoes incorporate a full-length dot-welled Air Sole unit, herringbone outsole, TPU midfoot shank and a performance mesh inner lining. The lining features an “MJ” graphic that gives a similar feel to Nike’s Sphere lining in that it raises parts of the mesh against the foot to allow for breathability. Along the heel of the Dentro, you’ll notice a series of Roman numerals reading XXIX.II, XI.VI and X.I, which are actually Michael’s game stats from his days as a Senior at Laney High School when he averaged 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 10.1 assists. The two shoes will release with several material combinations available at retail, ranging from nubuck, full grain leather and synthetic leather to patent leather, perforated leather and a texturized synthetic.

The Jordan JAQ, first releasing in July and priced at $100, is a football trainer designed to look like a football trainer, after Jordan Brand employees continually began to see people wearing trainers on the basketball court. Designed by Justin Taylor, it features a nubbed traction outsole, sharp outrigger, several mesh insets and also shares the same performance liner seen in the Dentro and Esterno. Along the medial side, the strap can be adjusted per the wearer’s taste for a variably tight fit. For cushioning, the JAQ offers DHIP, short for Dual Hardness Injected Phylon, at the heel and forefoot.

The Olympian, designed by Jason Mayden, will release in August for $125 and is also inspired by Italian craftsmanship and features detailed stitch patterns along the toe and at the ankle. The toe stitch pattern was first incorporated onto the Olympian, and then was carried over to the Olympic Retro 6 set to launch in the coming weeks. Just as the Jordan B’Loyal was inspired by the Jordan VI, the Olympian shares some familar design cues with the Jordan X, such as the striped outsole and large support overlay along the upper. While the Jordan X featured a full-length Air Sole unit, the Olympian improves upon comfort with the use of heel and forefoot Zoom Air for cushioning. Traction is also improved by the use of herringbone insets and a honey-comb like pattern also shared by the Dentro, Esterno and JAQ. For improved fit, a 3/4 length inner sleeve is incorporated along the inner of the shoe.

As the Air Jordan XX3 has enjoyed tremendous success thus far this year, there are three colorways of the XX3 Low scheduled to release this summer, priced at $150. The Low, designed by Jordan Brand Design Director D’Wayne Edwards and based on Tinker Hatfield’s XX3 Mid, features a modified tooling, as the TPU cradle seen on the Mid is only incorporated along the heel. It also showcases its Considered nature by featuring thick stitching along the upper as well as an environmentally preferred mesh along the collar. The Black/Dark Charcoal/Metallic Silver colorway is most daring, as the toe overlay features patent leather and the outsole is made of transculent rubber.

Below you’ll find pictures and release info on the aforementioned key releases for this summer season. For the full release calendar of this summer’s scheduled releases, check Jumpman23.com.

Jordan Six Rings 8.16.08 Black/Varsity Red/White $150

Jordan Dentro 7.1.08 White/Metallic Silver/Black $110

Jordan Dentro 7.1.08 Black/Metallic Silver/White $110

Jordan Dentro 7.1.08 Black/Metallic Silver/University Blue $110

Jordan Dentro 7.1.08 Black/Metallic Silver/Varsity Red $110

Jordan Dentro 8.1.08 Midnight Navy/Metallic Silver/White $110

Jordan Dentro 9.1.08 White/Metallic Silver/Black/Varsity Red $110

Jordan Dentro 9.1.08 White/Metallic Silver/Black/Varsity Maize $110

Jordan Esterno 6.28.08 Black/University Blue $115

Jordan Esterno 6.28.08 White/Varsity Red/Metallic Silver $115

Jordan Esterno 6.28.08 Black/Varisty Red $115

Jordan Esterno 9.1.08 White/Varsity Red/Black $115

Jordan Esterno 9.1.08 White/Metallic Gold/Midnight Navy $115

Jordan Esterno 9.1.08 Black/Metallic Silver/Varsity Maize $115

Jordan JAQ 7.1.08 White/Black $100

Jordan JAQ 8.1.08 Black/Varsity Red/White/Metallic Silver $100

Jordan JAQ 9.1.08 White/Metallic Silver/Obsidian $100

Jordan JAQ 9.1.08 Black/Varsity Maize/White $100

Jordan JAQ 9.1.08 Light Graphite/Varsity Maize/White $100

Jordan Olympian 8.9.08 White/Varsity Red/Black/Metallic Gold $125

Jordan Olympian 8.9.08 White/Metallic Gold/Varsity Red $125

Jordan Olympian 8.9.08 White/Metallic Silver/Midnight Navy/Metallic Gold $125

Jordan Olympian 8.9.08 Black/Metallic Silver/Dark Charcoal $125

Jordan Olympian 8.30.08 White/Varsity Red/Black $125

Jordan Olympian 8.30.08 White/Varsity Maize/Light Graphite/Stealth $125

Jordan XX3 Low 7.12.08 White/Varsity Red $135

Jordan XX3 Low 7.12.08 White/Midnight Navy/Silver $135

Jordan XX3 Low 8.30.08 Black/Dark Charcoal/Silver $135

(All Images Courtesy Jumpman23.com)

With the upcoming Olympic Games to be held in Beijing, adidas is planning to release two versions of the TS Litespeed, said to be inspired by elements of Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain and drawing from classic Chinese war methods. The two shoes, one a white base and the other a black base, both feature a rich leather upper texturized medial panel, with laser etched graphics along the lateral heel and a well-done splatter print along the heel. June marks the release month for the black colorway, while the white based version will launch in July. Both are said to retail for $140 and will only be exclusive throughout China.

(All images courtesy: Kenlu)

There’s no real guarantee that Germany will even be playing in the 2008 Olympic Games held this summer in Beijing, but just in case Germany does indeed finish in the top-3 of the twelve team pre-Olympic qualifying tournament, here’s what Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks will be wearing.

The Hyperdunk is certainly Nike’s statement level footwear item for the Olympics, and surely there’s some hope that Dirk will carry the shoe’s popularity through Europe with his country-specific colorway. He’s proven not to care much about wearing flagship product by wearing Nike’s $65 Dual-D shoe for the past two seasons, but should Germany qualify, look to see him wearing this white, black, yellow and red colorway on-court. On the details side of things, the German flag is nicely affixed along the tongue, and the awkwardly nice colorway is made up of a white leather upper, black heel and midfoot wedges, red Vectran strands and a yellow Swoosh to top things off.

I’m not exactly sure how the Lakers pulled off their 20-point comeback against the defending champion Spurs earlier tonight. The Spurs rarely, if ever, let up on huge leads in regular season games, let alone the first playoff game of the Conference Finals. But, after the halftime trade of his Hyperdunks for his signature Zoom Kobe III’s, we saw an ignited Kobe Bryant and a renewed assertiveness in the game from the reigning MVP, as he went on to score 25 of his 27 points in the 2nd half. (I personally like the Hyperdunk more than the Zoom Kobe III, so go figure.)

While the Lakers clicked throughout the entire second half and the bench actually contributed after an inconsistent series against Utah, it was certainly Kobe’s determination to bring his team back from their deep third quarter deficit that ended up being the difference. Let’s take a look at the footwear seen tonight at Staples Center, and for once I actually have something good to say about Bruce Bowen.

Phil Jackson wondered if Kobe was lost in the Bermuda Triangle as compared to running the Triangle, as Bruce Bowen put the clamps on the seemingly passive Bryant throughout the first half. While wearing an unseen colorway of the Nike Hyperdunk, Kobe only took three shots, but I like to chalk it up to the power of the Zoom Flight ‘95. It’s thirteen years after they originally released, and they look just as futuristic as the “Future of Nike Basketball” worn by Bryant. (Both are thanks to Nike designer Eric Avar)

After a sluggish start, the MVP switched to his Zoom Kobe IIIs at halftime and instantly returned to form, attacking the basket, knocking down long jumpers and impressively finding the open teammate when the situation demanded. Both Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher are wearing the Air Barwin in player exclusive colorways. (And yes — Referee Danny Crawford is wearing the black and white Air Jordan 10 Retro. He seriously stocked up on tons of pairs and has been wearing them the past few seasons. If there’s enough demand, I’ll keep you posted when Referee Sneaker Shots will debut. I did once run into Bob Delaney at the Nike Employee Store and he was rocking heat.)

Tony Parker knifed through the Laker defense time and time again for easy baskets, but his efforts weren’t enough to offset Manu Ginobili’s awful shooting night. However, his Huarache 08s are early candidates for best model colorway. I hear he prefers the sleek and sexy look. (Brandon Roy’s are a close 2nd.)

Since Kobe only gives his sidekick a handful of freebies during the season, human dancing machine Ronny Turiaf was forced to stick with his Hyperdunks for the entirety of the game. It’s the same colorway that Bryant wore, and the purple Vectran strands along the clear Flywire panelling are a nice touch. Tim Duncan is wearing the adidas TS Pro Model here, but in a higher cut than the release version.

(All images courtesy YahooSports.com)

In a new feature here on SC.com, we’ll be providing a detailed look at what the L’s final four teams are rocking on-court as the NBA Playoffs continue on into May. As the Eastern Conference Finals opened on Tuesday night with the Boston Celtics cruising to a 88-79 Game 1 win over the not-quite-100% Billups-led and “poo-poo shooting” Detroit Pistons, we saw a few highlights on the sneaker front from the game’s marquee stars. (Rasheed described their shooting as such. I couldn’t make that up.)

KG narrowly approaches me-first status after preaching that “It takes 5ive” — that’s his face on the heel of his adidas TS Commanders.

And this is why we love Sheed. His visible heel max AF1’s aren’t too bad either. Nice tights Roscoe.

Paul Pierce is playing like a Grown Man throughout the Playoffs thus far, and yet he can’t get his Max Pierce IVs released past size 6. Conversely, Chauncey continues to bitterly wear his only adidas signature shoe, the C-Billups, for the second straight season after refusing to wear any TS products. Actually - it’s perfectly understandable.

Maybe Ray Ray needs to give up on the Jordan TGIM that he’s been wearing throughout his dreadful playoff showing and break out some Jumpman J’Madness or Jumpman J’s. Something to end the slump. [For those keeping score at home, Antonio McDyess (wearing the adidas Pro Deal) indeed blocked his shot.]

(All photos courtesy YahooSports.com)

Courtesy of the good people at Hypebeast, here’s a look at the return of the adidas Sunny. A nice alternative to the three stripes-clad staples from the adidas Originals line, the Sunny originally debuted in 1984. Adorned with the classic Trefoil logo at the midfoot, the Sunny also features a trend-friendly vulcanized outsole along with a hardened toe cap and canvas upper. Both the low- and mid-cuts also feature a heel pull tab and contrast stitching. Another subtle but nice detail is the tri-colored eyelets at the top of the mid cut’s lacing set-up.

Source: Hypebeast

In perhaps the greatest overstatement to date, Sir Charles proclaims Kobe Bryant’s current Lakers squad as BETTER than any team he’s played for. That would include his team with Shaq that won THREE consecutive rings. Luckily CWebb unfortunately knew otherwise from firsthand experience.

This upcoming year, Nike Basketball is set to launch team product like the Hyperdunk and signature product such as the Zoom Lebron VI, but they’ll also be releasing several value priced items aimed at the more budget conscious baller.

Both the Zoom Blur and Dunk Hoop will be releasing late this summer, and with both featuring Zoom Air below the $90 plateau - I’m already listening. The Zoom Blur features full-grain leather, a partial inner bootie and variable lacing in this lightweight shoe aimed at guards and light forwards. Cushioning comes courtesy of a Phylon midsole and heel Zoom Air unit. Priced at just $80, the Blur should get some serious consideration on the hardwood.

The Dunk Hoop, designed by Kasey Jarvis and priced at $88, is geared towards both the indoor and outdoor game, and the graphics along the heel counter, midfoot strap and outsole are inspired by shattered glass. The noticeable midfoot strap should provide support for the larger player, and grip is offered up by a traditional solid rubber herringbone traction pattern. Zoom Air can be found in an articulated regionalized set-up under the forefoot.

Nike Zoom Blur:

Nike Dunk Hoop:

Along with the epic Vans collaboration, Supreme has released some new items for Spring/Summer ‘08. These particular releases consist of a wide variety of items with an emphasis on bright seasonal tones and prints. Be on the lookout for more from Supreme this season.

Self Edge has just received a new Iron Heart shipment from Japan. The restock includes new Chambray Shirts, Flannels, Jeans and Belts from the popular brand. Iron Heart continues to implement the finest materials in conjunction with their signature attention to production and detail. Be sure to check out the items in person if you get a chance as most of the items are only available in store.

Bobby and his crew have dropped 5 new colors of their always popular Adam Bomb New Era Cap. The hats are now available at The Hundreds webstore for a limited time.

With the recent onslaught of high-fashion designers crossing over into the sneaker world, designer Raf Simons has thrown his own model into the mix with an interesting play on a canvas upper and Chuck Taylor-like silhouette. Special details include the painted mid panel which sits as a fine contrast with the rest of the all white upper. There also appears to be a small RAF lacelock on the bottom laces.

Now available at all RAF locations.

source: miszapas

Supreme is set to release their recent collaboration with Vans worldwide this week with the American flagship stores releasing on May 22nd and the Japanese release to coincide two days later on May 24th. Both the Chukka and Half-Cab will also be made available to online purchases on the Supreme webstore on May 23rd. Although simple in appearance, these Supreme Vans will surely gravitate to the top of the most wanted list for this summers releases as the always popular Half-Cab and Chukka models always seem to find a chorus of welcome from sneaker fans the world around.

Thanks to the beast, we have an in depth look at the full collection.

The Hyperdunk wasn’t the first case of trickery Kobe Bryant played on us. While some of the dunks are very possible for him, it’s crazy to think that Jason Richardson *actually* pulled off the backboard pass between the legs dunk.

On May 5th, 2008, adidas was awarded $305 Million in damages stemming from a lawsuit filed against Payless ShoeSource Inc. that claimed trademark infringement of the famed Three Stripes design cue. While it was just another tally to the total number of 325 infringement matters adidas has pursued in the United States, it was far and away the greatest monetary amount awarded in damages, and also a foreshadowing moment of great importance in the footwear industry.

It was determined by a nine person jury in US District Court in Portland, Oregon (coincidentally where adidas America’s US Headquarters are located) that Payless ShoeSource infringed upon adidas’ trademark rights on 267 unique footwear styles. [The official Jury Verdict form can be found here -- with images of all offending shoes] Adidas, obviously the brand with three stripes if for some reason you were unaware, based the foundation of their lawsuit around the history and equity they have built in the three stripes design cue, which is commonly found in parallel alignment along the midfoot and has been a globally recognized branding tool for the company with over sixty years of heritage. While Payless didn’t outrightly copy the stripes to the count of three, they sold models consisting of either four or two parallel stripes along the midfoot, in categories like athletics and casuals for men, women and kids.

While some models incorporated unique design themes and inspirations unrelated to previously released adidas shoes, the most apparent infringement could be found in the eerily similar Superstar imposter. With a hardened rubber toe cap and similar cupsole construction, the four stripes across the midfoot may not have been an exact replica of the famed Superstar, but because the negative space of the four stripe design could be inferred as being three stripes, it’s even more understandable as to why the US District Court jury decided in adidas’ favor. “We are very pleased with this result,” said Paul Ehrlich, adidas America General Counsel, in a written statement released to media. “Adidas is pleased the jury agreed with our position that Payless’ conduct was unlawful and cannot be tolerated. We have been building the Adidas brand for over 60 years, and this verdict supports the value our society places on protecting innovation and quality brands.”

While there’s definitely no denying the effort that adidas has poured into building itself into one of the world’s leading athletic footwear, apparel and equipment manufacturers, what does this say about the smaller brands that depend on the value chain shopper? You can see why adidas would be furious about Payless’ “homage” to the Superstar at a fraction of the retail price, but the entirety of the list of shoes found to infringe on trademark rights definitely includes some very debatably unique designs and styles. Out of all potentially infringing shoes decided upon by the jury, only one pair was found to not infringe upon adidas’ legally protected trademark rights, as the shoe (pictured below) featured two stripes, with one partially covered by an overlay.

So, how will stores like Target, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart and Payless design shoes going forward, and will there be an added sense of cautiousness to avoid potentially perceived logo or trademark infringement? “It sent shock waves throughout the entire value chain industry,” admits an experienced budget-chain designer who spoke under the condition of anonymity. “It’s very easy to see how a general consumer could say, ‘If I wear this shoe with jeans and the back stripe is covered, maybe it will look like an adidas, but for a cheaper price.’ Anytime you’re designing shoes, you’re going to be following trends, but a good designer should have the creativity to avoid any potential infringements. The straight stripe is such a simple mark, and structurally it makes sense to design stripes along the shoe, but there will certainly be some added precaution to make sure you’re designing a shoe that is unique on it’s own.” It’s hard to say how much of an immediate impact this decision will have upon Payless ShoeSource, who reported nearly $2.8 Billion in revenues in 2007, placing it 38th among specialty retailers, according to Fortune Magazine, but you can probably figure they’ll be looking into a few new design strategies.

According to the official Jury Verdict form as submitted to US District Court, these Payless models pictured above were just a few of the 267 total unique styles found to infringe upon adidas’ trademark three stripes design. 

While the Black/ Metallic Gold Nike Flightposite I retro will be releasing early this summer, catalog pictures from Nike.com were recently leaked of the upcoming Metallic Purple (i.e. Eggplant) FP1 Retro. True to form with spot on chameleon-like color tones, the original Eggplant Flightposite I is a cult classic that had recently been fetching well over $300 online.

The Retro, slated to relaunch later this Holiday season to select urban account retailers, will see a price hike of $20 from the original $160 MSRP, but the samples are dead on and the crew at Nike’s Sport Culture department admits there was no way they could retro this shoe this year without bringing back the Eggplant colorway. Marcus Smith, Men’s Global Urban Product Line Manager, hopes collectors and those who remember the shoe from its initial release will not only enjoy the chance to get ahold of this tough to find colorway, but will also appreciate the effort put into recreating the complex metallic purple hue along the upper.

Product Info:

Nike Flightposite

Release Month: 12/2008

Style: 624015 Color: 051

Metallic Purple/Metallic Purple

MSRP $180

Source: solaradreamer