Independence Day

Whats up with my Sneakerhead fam? How have you been? I hope everyone is enjoying their 4th of July and your day off. I’m sure everyone has the grills going, out at the lake and/or spending time with the family. Has anyone copped anything lately? Was anyone looking forward to the Independence Day Air Max 1?

They were set to release on July 1st and meant to honor Betsy Ross. Betsy Ross designed the original flag. The design had 13 stars in a circle to represent the original 13 states and that detail from !770 was present on the maxes, embroidered on the heel. Shortly after images surfaced, Colin Kaepernick reached out to Nike. Telling the brand that he and others found the design to be offensive due to Betsy Ross flag’s connection to a time in history when slavery still existed.

Nike issued a short statement saying that they have chosen to “halt production, based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation’s patriotic holiday.” Retailers were ordered to ship their stock back to Nike ahead of the news breaking, shoes were never meant to hit the market but of course a few got loose; listed on StockX and going for over $2000, but have since been removed.

Nike had a similar issue arise with a different release a few months back, hopefully they tighten things up. Consistently dropping the ball isn’t a good look. Soon it’ll be seen as being done purposely instead of an accident. Even though most aren’t aware of neither story, but that’s what you have me for. I’m here to keep you in the loop!!

As always cop heavy, keep em clean and the soles icy. #Salute

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kickzandsneakerz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrSneaker_Head

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, LINKS ARE BELOW:

Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T1C3YAQ

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640

Can I Rant??? Part 3: Can I Cop?

What’s up with my sneaker collectors and aficionados? Has everyone been copping what they want? I haven’t!! For those unfamiliar with my rants, these are my thoughts as they come to me. There is no structure or forethought, I just get on here and let it all out. With that being said, lets talk about these releases as of late.

I FUCKIN HATE EM!!! Not the actual shoes, nor the collaboration, nor the colorways….it’s how they release them. I shouldn’t have to jump through hoops, wake up at insane hours, wait hours in virtual lines or consistently refresh or re enter my account information to acquire a shoe that I HAVE THE MONEY FOR!!!!

Remember waiting in line and camping out for kicks? There was a certain joy and anticipation that came with that experience. Nowadays, catching L’s is the only experience I’m familiar with. I love shoes with a passion and I purchase kicks to wear, NOT to make a couple extra dollars, which is what is going on. The shoe companies were tired of fights and riots breaking out at stores on release day, so they implemented this new raffle and app technology to limit in store releases and in return limit the riots/fights.

But now, unless you have a back door connect or you’re using bots (I talk about bots in depth another time) you can’t really catch a break on releases. You might catch a win on SNKRS app, but those seem to be far and few in between. So you have to deal with reseller sites or private resellers to acquire the shoe you wanted at obscene prices or just go without the shoe. Technology was supposed to make things easier right? But for who? The shoe companies, who are only concerned with dollar signs. They don’t truly care about bots, kicks being sold back door or you not copping. As long as units move and they do numbers it’s a win!!

(Nike SNKRS & Frenzy app)

So where does that leave hardcore shoe enthusiasts who can’t cop?? Angry and frustrated for the most part.  Of course someone will read this and say “he’s just mad he can’t cop any kicks”. But little do you know, I’ve copped: Tokyo Air Max 1, SB Dogwalkers, SB Jordan Defiant collab, Swipa Air Max 1 and Have A Nike Day Air Force to name a few…..Oh I cop!!! I just don’t have access to everything I’d like to get my hands on.

It’s just frustrating to know a bunch of money hungry individuals are entering into our culture and milking it instead of appreciating and staying true to the culture. Now I know resellers aren’t going anywhere and I’m actually not talking about those with solid networks who have been doing this forever. I’m talking about all the “new booties” who are doing the most to sell 2 pair of shoes for a $100 dollar come up. That’s actually pretty pathetic when you think about it. All that time, energy and effort invested to move some Nikes and make an extra hundred? That ain’t it chief!!! Because of this, you have real connoisseurs paying more or missing out…..Damn!!! Can I cop without being bent over with the price?! Alright, I’m done….just had to get that off my chest lol

As always cop heavy, keep em fresh and the soles icy.

#SALUTE

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kickzandsneakerz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrSneaker_Head

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, LINKS ARE BELOW:

Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T1C3YAQ

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640

AIR MAX Month

Whats going on with my Sneakerhead family? How have you been? What have you added to the collection recently? I most recently picked up the Nike air force 1 from the “Have a NIKE day” pack. The whole collection was actually really nice; consisting of Air force 1, Air max 270, Air max 95, Air max 97 and of course the Air max 1. Why soo many Air maxes in the pack? Because it is the first official release for “AIR MAX” month!!!

Now, what the hell is AIR MAX month you ask? Well allow me to answer that question in-depth. But before I start, quick shout out to M. Frank Rudy who created and patented the Nike Air technology we all know and love. Back to the topic at hand, the AIR MAX….The Air Max 1 was originally designed in 1987 by Tinker Hatfield and released on March 26th (AIR MAX Day). Now with that nugget of info you would think “so Nike has been celebrating AIR MAX month forever”. In actuality, 2019 will make for ONLY the 5th year that the AIR MAX is being celebrated. It started back in 2014 as a marketing ploy by Nike to build hype around not only old Air Maxes, but to draw attention to new AIR MAX releases. I’m not knocking it and I’m not mad at it, but I have to call it how I see it. I could be wrong, feel free to comment or message me.  If you have a better explanation I’d love to hear it. It started off as AIR MAX DAY being celebrated on 3/26….then you had Sneakerheads and enthusiasts alike flexing AIR MAX kicks ALL month to show their love and appreciation. We all know how fast things get hyped and blown up; next thing you know (with a little push from Nike) we had a full-blown month dedicated to the AIR MAX. It’s actually very ingenious by Nike to capitalize on the wave. So in short, AIR MAX month is a month of appreciation for Nike’s collection of runners that all possess the AIR MAX technology.

So here we are in our 5th year of celebrating one of the oldest and most beloved kicks in the shoe community the “AIR MAX”. If you noticed I haven’t been too specific because there are soooo many air maxes it would take all day to acknowledge and show you all of them. Instead we’re going to acknowledge all of the AIR MAX releases happening this month and even mention a few AIR MAX events happening this month.

3/1: Have A NIKE Day Pack

3/1: Air Max 97 DALLAS

3/5: Air Vapormax2.0

Vapormax Plus

3/9: Vapormax 3.0

3/14: Air Max 720

3/15: Air Max 95 (Home & Away)

Nike WMNS Air VaporMax 2.0 “Swarovski”

3/16: Air Max 90 “Mars Landing”

3/21: Air Max 720

Air Max 270

Air Max Plus

Air Max 97 LX

Air Max 95

Vapormax 2019

Air Max DIA

Vapormax Run Utiliy

3/30: Air Max 270

Sooo many fresh AIR MAX kicks releasing this month, I’m sure there is something for everybody. There will also be some events in celebration of NIKE AIR DAY depending on where you are geographically located.

On the West Coast:

AIR MAX DAY (3/23) * Berkeley, CA Follow @Premium_SNKRS on IG for details

JUST MAXIN (3/23) * Los Angeles, CA Follow @LA_Airheads/ @BGKicks on IG for details

On the East Coast:

NIKE NIGHT OUT (3/26) * Baltimore, MD Follow @Baltsneakershow on IG for details

Now you know what’s dropping and what’s popping for AIR MAX month. I have plans to pull out something special for AIR MAX month myself. Just not sure if I should pull out for an event or for actual AIR MAX DAY (3/26). Either way, heads will be turning and necks snapping. If you’re curious as to what it will be, well you’ll just have to follow me and stay tuned.

As always cop heavy, keep em fresh and the soles icy. #Salute

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kickzandsneakerz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrSneaker_Head

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, LINKS ARE BELOW:

Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T1C3YAQ

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640

2018 Was Crazy….

What’s good with my Sneakerhead family? How’s everybody doing? How has your year been? Did you score in December or did you take Ls like a lot of us did?

I’ve been looking at releases from over the past year of 2018 and there was so many kicks that dropped it was unbelievable!! To say that the market was flooded would be an understatement. There was seriously no way any one person could have copped all of those kicks or kept up with all of those kicks….

Initially I was going to try, but the more I did my research there was no way humanly possible for me to cover every shoe that released and it still be a blog… would be more like a magazine. So what I decided to do is highlight a few hyped releases and collaborations that came out each month throughout the year. So bear with me, it’s still a lot of shoes to cover but I think I got a hold of it.

January started off kind of slow with the Jordan 4 Levi’s collaboration releasing. Then there was the Kyrie 3 “Ray Gun” drop, Air Max 97 Italy and Kendrick Lamar Cortez also came out. To be fair there are another 13-15 kicks that released in the midst of these. But, remember I can’t list all of them. Only a few hyped releases from each month.

February is always a heavy month for kicks…we had the Jordan 3 “Dunk Contest” drop along with a Jordan 1 “Gold Toes” and a Solefly x Jordan 17 collaboration. Lebron watch started with a Diamond Turf release, Playstation & Nike dropped the Paul George 2 and Adidas collaborated with Neighborhood for an NMD release.

March brought the first wave of Off White Jordan 1s and Tinker Jordan 3s with the swoosh. The Jordan 3 “Seoul” also released. Off white vapor max hit the scene as well. But Air Max took the show with the Sean Wortherspoon Air Max 1/97 and the Atmos “Animal” pack 2.0 dropping.

April was somewhat slow…. only in comparison to the other months. We finally got Jordan 1 “Shadows” and some smooth “Pass The Torch” Jordan 1s. Yeezy first installment of the 500 dropped, Acronym & Nike released the Vapormax Plus…. but my favorite was the Air Max 97 “Patchwork”. The shoe was very well crafted and something different.

May was something of a headache. Jordan decided to release a Jordan 1 OG high “Best in Hand” pack with 4 different colors (Blue Moon, Track Red, Yellow Ochre & Clay Green). The Satin Shattered Backboard Jordan 1s also created a frenzy, then the “Respect” Jordan 11 low also hit the scene. If that wasn’t enough….Off White Converse dropped along with a NMD collaboration pack from adidas & Pharrell. Reebok even made some waves with a collaborative drop with rapper Curren$y, giving life to the Question mid again.

June was the intro into the summer and it was a fire month for kicks. Jordan dropped another Levi’s collaboration followed by another Off White Jordan 1 and the release of the Michigan Jordan 12s. June also brought us Converse × Golf Le Fleur drop, Yeezy 500s and the Nike “Just Do It” pack that was huge and seen everywhere.

July was somewhat dry for Jordans. The only shoes worth mentioning is Jordan 3 Quai 54 and the “friends and family” version was better. More Yeezy 500s released along with Off White Prestos and a Mita × adidas pack. The biggest release was the Nike × Parra pack that I struck out on (-_-).

August brought us a collaboration between rapper Cam’ron and Reebok Question mids. Pharrell & adidas hit us with the solar pack and the Travis Scott Air Force 1 was crazy. Jordan dropped two pair of Jordan 3s, all black Fly-knit and Bio Beige Tinkers. The “He Got Game” 13s also re released.

It started popping again in September though. Jordan linked with Nigel Sylvester for a Jordan 1 then Jordan dropped two new Jordan 1 colorways with Pine Green & Court Purple. Jordan also released a well executed Jordan 12 from “International Flight” pack. Yeezy 700 created a new wave, Foot patrol × adidas had a consortium collaboration and PSNY dropped a dope Air Force One pack.

Jordan brand introduced the 33rd installment, brought back the Black & Royal 18s and took the 8s to South Beach. Everybody else brought out the big guns too!! October was a heavy month for collaborations; to the tune of Off White, Nike, adidas, SNS, PATTA etc… I have to keep it short though. So the Serena Off White 97s were crazy, Yeezy 700 Mauve hit the scene, NBA×Nike SB had a nice drop, PUMA introduced their first basketball shoe and BBC×Pharrell×adidas Hu NMD dropped.

November is when the drops got real and people were catching feelings and fades (fighting) behind shoes. Jordan brand came correct with the “Not For Resale” 1s, “Rookie of the Year” 1s and Jordan 1 × Union collaboration . Yeezy 350 V2 Zebra made its debut, the Off White×Air Max 90s were fire and the Diamond Supply Canary SBs caused a fight/almost riot at Complexcon smh. Needless to say they were highly sought after, along with all the other shoes aforementioned.

December, finally!! Last push of the year and you could tell. I listed 36 of the hottest drops, but there was well over 50 releases in December. Jordan brand released the Concord 11s, we know they drop an 11 around Christmas every year like clockwork. They also had a Jordan 1 collaboration with Solefly and released the Doernbecher collection Jordan 15. Yeezy dropped the Frozen Yellow Zebra 350, the Curry 6 Christmas hit shelves, Concept SB Lobsters were stressing everyone out and Fear of God released a collection with Nike.

See what I mean? A plethora of shoes released all year-long. Pretty much with something for everybody, from every brand with a collaboration, from every designer and boutique…. and if that wasn’t enough, they’re already announcing and posting releases well into summer 2019. These are not my top picks nor my hot 100 list, so don’t get mad and hit me with comments about selections made. I’m just highlighting releases from the past year.

Who said the sneaker game was slowing down and drying up? The market is flooded to the point where everyone should be able to get their hands on the kicks they want, cold part is….. they’re not!!! Maybe things will change in 2019, maybe.

As always cop heavy, keep em fresh and the soles icy. #Salute

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kickzandsneakerz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrSneaker_Head

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, LINKS ARE BELOW:

Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T1C3YAQ

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640

My COMPLEXCON Experience

What’s good with my Sneakerhead family? Sooo…who copped what? Who took that L? Any “grail” pickups lately? For those of you who follow me and caught my weekend experience….I FINALLY MADE IT OUT TO COMPLEXCON!!!!! Thanks to my bros The Heat Hoarders Podcast and BayAreaGotSole, shout out to the gang (pic w/ Mr Flower Fantastic)!!

I’m going to get right into it and please stick with me, trying to cover a whole lot in this lil blog of mines. Before we start though, what is Complexcon? Well, it is an event..no!! It is a festival that brings together and showcases pop culture, music, art, food, style, sports, innovation, activism, and education. ALL in one spot with some of the biggest influencers, hottest designers and fashion forward celebrities out there. The festival takes place in Long Beach over two days (Saturday & Sunday). I know right? Amazingly awesome!!!

This was my first time attending Complexcon, so I didn’t know what to expect or how to operate. But I was definitely excited to see what all the fuss was about.

DAY 1:

The line was ridiculous!!! Like down the street, around the corner and up the block ridiculous. Upon entering, you’re welcomed by music and a circus of people and lights. The place is packed. Booths and lines everywhere you look. A gang of people hovering around a floating adidas box, why? We’ll get to that shortly.

I take my first lap, flicking ALL the pics. Union, Pink Dolphin, Kappa, Dark Clouds, OVO x Murakami etc…. all these different booths with lines and all sorts of traffic.

Vendors passing out free stuff, me grabbing it, others maneuvering around campaigning, more vendors collecting emails and passing out stuff…. me giving email and accepting free items. Then things get interesting, while maneuvering around with the crew…I got the opportunity to meet Nicky Diamond AND Frank Cooker not in-depth. But to be able to shake hands and speak momentarily to those two is FUCKIN DOPE!! (excuse my language)…

Nicky Diamond is the founder of Diamond Supply Co. Frank Cooker was a Jordan Brand liaison and is a major influence in the culture. Basically I got the opportunity to meet two legends, that was HUGE for me. As the day progresses I get to meet, talk to briefly and take a pic with creator of Sandal Boyz..Franalations (that’s a t-shirt NOT a burrito in my hand lol)!!

Yo, I’m having the time of my life focus was not on shoes at all. Too busy taking the experience all in….. UNTIL I seen someone with the atmos Cocoa Snake Nike Air Force Ones.

Instantly I snap back and start maneuvering trying to get in line and finesse my way around looking for shoes to cop. No luck on my first day, was ACTUALLY towards the front for Canary Diamond SB release.

But the hype beasts and resellers couldn’t keep their composure. A fight occurred and release was shut down. Atmos sold out of the Cocoa snakes first day (before I got to line) and another sneaker I wanted, my size sold out early.

Needless to say, I’m a tad salty because I could already see these aforementioned kicks on my feet. Now my only shot would be to deal with a reseller and I don’t do that. Then I heard a ruckus, everyone rushing towards a floating adidas box. Come to find out that adidas was releasing kicks all day via the Complexcon app and floating boxes. You had to access app and scan box at the appropriate time for a chance to secure a shoe… ah ha!! I still got action!! I rushed to the box and BOOM, I scored!! But it wasn’t the shoe I wanted and I don’t resale, so I didn’t purchase. Then the Pharrell NERD NMD drops and BOOM I scored. I’ve always wanted a pair but could never secure, I move to the next page to pay and to my surprise my size is sold out.

Feeling slightly defeated for the day with no new pickups, I head to my room in hopes of a better tomorrow…. and possibly some new shoes.

Day 1 was filled with major excitement, highs and lows…. but all great experiences.

DAY 2:

Oh I’m in that thang early early today!! I’m getting some shoes today, just watch!! I get to Diamond SB release, there’s already people and ruckus…not again!! Maybe today will be different, nope shortly after deciding to go for another shoe I hear a fight breakout. Next thing you know, NO SB RELEASE!! They shut the release down altogether because of the stupidity surrounding it. I’m in the atmos line though now and I see some Nikes… I WANT EM!! “Huh? What do you mean those aren’t available? Then why are they being showcased like ALL other kicks that are available? You’re showcasing? Uh… okay, could you let me out of line please?”

Walking away feeling some of yesterday’s feelings, I head over to Zen. They are doing a free grail giveaway and all you have to do is signup via email. See yesterday, the app wouldn’t work so I wasn’t able to enter. Oh, but it’s flowing swimmingly today.

That’s where I met and linked with The Stylish Stoner Racks Hogan, we hit a few booths and ended up at Sherbinskis booth. Sherbinski is the curator of world-famous genetics: Sunset Sherbert, Gelato, Gello, Mochi, Açaí Berry. Needless to say I enjoyed meeting him lol…. but the shoe collab he was a part of sold out as well.

Then the Zen giveaway went down and I didn’t win that either. You know what? I’m over it… just going to enjoy myself, network and take it all in. Then alert goes off, people rush the adidas floating box… and me too!! I know what I just said, but I’m trying to score!! The NERD NMDs again, I hit and they’re sold out!! Ok ok, alright now I’m over it. I decide to go eat, had some great pizza. Conversed with some cool individuals and watched a few of the conversations Complexcon was curating with celebrities, designers and influencers. They were very informative, insightful and entertaining!! By this time, the crew found me (adidas had boxes all over festival, I was everywhere), we hit a couple of booths together and left the event.

Day 2 was more laid back, I think because there were less releases and a lot of people were only around for the first day. Plus, after the first day the excitement wears off and you’re no longer in shock.

Overall it was a great experience for me, I enjoyed all the festival had to offer. Just wished I would’ve at least scored one pair of shoes. Nonetheless it was an amazing festival and I will definitely be back next year. With more knowledge of how, when and where to maneuver so that I can get in on the exclusives available.

Think I might hit y’all with a Complexcon blog that is less personal and a bit more strategic. That way you can get the full experience… give me feedback, should I release “Complexcon – HypeFest”?

As always cop heavy, keep em fresh and the soles icy. #Salute

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kickzandsneakerz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrSneaker_Head

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, LINKS ARE BELOW:

Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T1C3YAQ

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640

Dad shoes? Really?

What’s good with my Sneakerhead family? How are you doing? Any major pickups lately? What’s your latest L? Don’t be ashamed I’ve taken my share of Ls lately, it happens…. more than it should but it happens.

Soooo…. on the eve of the Mauve Yeezy 700 dropping figured I’d talk about this “Dad shoe” hype that has become a wave out of nowhere. Let me define the term “Dad Shoe” before going any further. A “Dad Shoe” is a bulky, unattractive shoe that isn’t stylish and usually seen on men 50+ you know, the “Dad” types. But when did this hype start? When did it become a wave? WHY did it become a wave?….. well allow me to shed some light.

The plan is to identify not only the timeline for “Dad Shoes” but also the increase in popularity, so just follow me.

The original “Dad Shoe” is the Nike Monarch, designed by Jason Mayden and released in 2002 (couldn’t locate specific date, my apologies). Bulky, wide and unattractive they retailed at $54.99. At this time there was no wave and you couldn’t pay anyone enough to commit fashion suicide and wear these.

Fast forward to 09/21/17, Raf Simons a Belgian fashion designer. Collaborated with adidas to release Raf Simons x adidas “Ozweego” with a retail price of $500. This was the re introduction to the “Dad Shoe” in high fashion form. With influencers such as Future and Wale wearing them, known for their fashion sense…. outside of their musical talent of course.

Even with the warm reception Sneakerheads weren’t on board and the hype died down… until August 12, 2017.

Kanye West now working with adidas, introduced the “Yeezy 700” with retail @ $300. A bulky, multicolored shoe with no identifiable branding or logos. This screamed “Dad Shoe” and initially was met with some skepticism. But the hype caught on, the wave built up and they sold out and then the re stock sold out as well.

Shortly after on 09/21/17 Balenciaga releases the “Triple S” another bulky high fashion “Dad shoe” for $845. Name comes from the fact it has 3 soles, Triple S. Better received than the Ozweego, the Triple S caught hype.

Then Kanye and adidas released the Yeezy 500 for pre sale, retailing at $200 on December 2017. Of course the shoe sold out and just like that….. the “Dad Shoe” wave became a thing.

Now you had every brand wanting to get in on the “Dad Shoe” wave. 02/23/18 Versace releases “Archlight” their version of the “Dad Shoe” retailing at $1090. Think the name comes from the arch and how lightweight the shoe is, I can’t be certain because @ $1090 I do not own a pair.

Then on 04/26/18 Versace releases a 2 chains inspired shoe called “Reaction” for $995. The bottom of the sole resembles a chain and is extremely bulky. These are a “hit and miss” depending on colorway.

2 days later, 04/28/18 PUMA releases “Thunder Spectra” their take on the “Dad Shoe” with minimal logos and branding. The retail was set at $120. Which is a lot more reasonably priced.

Then here comes the OG, Nike introduces an updated Nike Monarch deemed Nike M2K Techno. The shoe released 07/01/18 for $120 and really hit big overseas, not too big stateside though.

Now here we are, October 2018 and Kanye is dropping a new colorway of the Yeezy 700 in Mauve.

Set to retail at $300, pre orders and raffles have started and the hype has reached capacity. If you’re digging the “Dad Shoe” wave there is no shortage of selections from the affordable to high fashion if that’s your poison. But, if you’re plotting on the Yeezy 700 I hope you have entered all the raffles, paid for pre-order and/or you have bots ready for the release (I’ll get into bots next time). Because you definitely have your work cut out attempting to score.

As always cop heavy, keep em fresh and the soles icy. #Salute

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kickzandsneakerz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrSneaker_Head

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, LINKS ARE BELOW:

Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640

Let’s Collab

What’s up with my Sneakerhead fam? What’s your collection looking like these days? Any new pickups? Anybody luck up on any “off white” releases? I for sure didn’t, but I didn’t even try to be honest. Trying to snatch a collab between these shoe brands and designers/artist/celebrities is not an easy task.

Off-white Blazers

Off-white Converse

Let’s define what a collaboration (collab) is before going any further. A collaboration is when a company such as Jordan allows a celebrity/artist such as Drake to have special colorways and even branding on signature silhouettes of the company’s shoe. Not to be confused with a partnership. Normally collaboration and a partnership is the same thing. They differ in the world of kicks. For example, Rihanna and Puma have a partnership. Where Rihanna has creative control and Puma brings her ideas to life under her brand “Fenty by Rhianna”. Another example of a partnership is adidas and Kanye West, where Kanye has creative control and adidas produces his “Yeezy” shoe.

Drake/Jordan collab

Fenty By Rhianna

Yeezy By Kanye

Collaborations seem to be more and more popular these days in the sneaker realm. The big names attached to sneaker brands along with exclusivity creates hype in a way you wouldn’t believe. Why? Because now you don’t just have Sneakeheads excited about the release, but also the artist/designer’s fans are also excited about the release. Some of which aren’t actually collectors or Sneakerheads, but want to support the artist they like.

Back in the day, collaborations were unheard of outside of sports. If you weren’t an athlete that couldn’t shoot, throw, catch or run there was no way you were getting a shoe. Even athletes weren’t guaranteed deals, some would just get “player exclusive” colors that they would promote. The earliest collab outside of sports that I’m aware of was in 1986 between adidas and RUN DMC (I could be wrong)…. RUN DMC even had a song called “My adidas”. Another major collab was between Jay-Z and Reebok in 2002 followed by 50 cent and Reebok in 2004.

RUN DMC adidas 1986

S.Carter Reeboks 2002

G-Unit G6 Reebok 2004

At the time, all of these collaborations were big and un heard of. Now a collaboration between artists/celebrities and shoe companies is the norm. Because these shoe companies see how it creates not only more hype but more revenue. If you produce less shoes than normal but have twice as many consumers looking for your product due to tapping into the artist’s fan base; you’re guaranteed to sell out and see a return on your investment. Which is why collaborations have become more common, it guarantees revenue and brand expansion.

All in the same breathe, the allure of collaborations is going away. Because it is becoming more common instead of a rarity, regardless of who the collaboration is between. Hopefully things switch up soon, every celebrity/artist doesn’t need a sneaker, hell most don’t even really wear kicks like that in the first.

As always cop heavy, keep em fresh and the soles icy. #Salute

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

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Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T1C3YAQ

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640

I CAN NOT KEEP UP

What’s up with my Sneakerhead fam? How was everyone’s weekend? What did you cop? What did you take a L on? I haven’t really been copping kicks at my normal rate and I don’t think I’ll be able to again. These releases are starting to get out of hand, I can not keep up with all of them. I know we are far from the days where one to two shoes released over the weekend and there were only a few releases per month. But now, kicks are releasing throughout the week no longer just on weekends….and the releases per month are easily in the twenties. Wait what? Isn’t there only 30 days in the month? Exactly!! Soooo….unless you’re rich or the shoe plug (if so email me please) there’s no real way for the average sneaker connoisseur to keep up.

I’m going to attempt to acknowledge the releases that have taken place this month and even some of the releases scheduled for the rest of September 2018. Of course I can not get to EVERY release taking place. So I’ll stick to some of the more “hyped” releases coming out.

For those unfamiliar with the term hype, I’ll give a quick definition.

Hype – Pertains to a sneaker that receives a lot of attention before the actual release date. The sneaker has a lot of “hype” around it. Nothing extremely rare or classic in most cases, just a new shoe. But in some cases, there are some sneaker collaborations and designer shoes that receive the “hype” and those kicks are usually rare and exclusive.

Now that we have that out of the way let’s get to the…..oh yeah!! Release dates have been known to change, don’t quote me on upcoming releases. I’m not the shoe plug, but if you are…..I was serious about that email, let’s be friends!!

SEPTEMBER 1ST

Nigel Sylvester Air Jordan 1, this was one of the more hyped releases.

Jordan 1 releases are normally really hyped. But they must be a High OG retro, otherwise…no thank you. Air Jordan 1 ‘Nike Air’ pack dropped, Air Jordan 32, Nike PG 2.5, Nike KZD 11, adidas Boost Mid, adidas 3 ST. 003, NIke Kobe AD, Nikecourt Court Lite, adidas EQT Support 91/18, Neighborhood X adidas Kamanda, adidas Futurepacer, Nike Air Max 90/1, Nike Air Swoopes 2 and Asics Gel Diablo became available

SEPTEMBER 4TH

PSNY X Nike Air Force Ones, a collaborative release.

SEPTEMBER 6TH

adidas NMD R1 and adidas NMD TS1 released

SEPTEMBER 7TH

Air Jordan 3 AWOK, a Vogue collaboration.

adidas Y-3 runner 4D, Nike Lebron 16 “HFR”, Nike Air Max Penny and Supreme x Nike SB Gato all released.

SEPTEMBER 8TH

Skepta Air Max Deluxe

Air Jordan 12 International Flight, END clothing X adidas Yung-1 and adidas Ultra Boost 4.0 released

SEPTEMBER 13TH

Undercover X Nike React Element 87

Zoom Fly Flyknit, Nike Air Max Deluxe and Nike Air Max “Tartan” pack all dropped

SEPTEMBER 14TH

Air Jordan 5 “Paris Saint German”

Etudes X adidas Ultra Boost Uncaged, Nike Air Max “Frequency” Pack and 20th Century Fox X Reebok DMX Run 10 dropped

SEPTEMBER 15TH

Air Jordan 13 Melo “Class of 2002”

Air Jordan 18 Suede Pack, adidas Yeezy Boost 700, Nike Air Max Deluxe and adidas Ultra Boost 4.0 hit the market.

That is over 30 releases and we’re only half way through the month. How crazy is that? Lets not forget, I didn’t mention ALL of the releases that dropped just the more hyped ones.

We still have the back end of September with a whole lot more shoes dropping. Some of the more hyped ones are:

Nike EXP – 14, September 19, 2018

Acronym X Air Presto Mid Utility, September 20, 2018

WMNS Air Jordan 3, September 21, 2018

Air Jordan 1 High OG Retro (2 Different colorways), September 22, 2018

SB Dunk High “Humidity, September 22, 2018

WMNS Blazer Mid Rebel ( Multiple colors), September 22, 2018

Off white X Nike Blazer Mid, September 2018

Commes De Garcon X Nike Air For One, September 2018

Like I stated earlier, release dates change so do not quote me on this. Just know kicks will be consistently dropping so do a little research and keep an eye out. I mean, that’s what I do. This month is stacked full of releases from all of the brands. So there should be something that appeals to everybody. Now if you can actually secure them……that’s a completely different story.

As always cop heavy, keep em fresh and the soles icy. #Salute

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

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Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640

Saturated

What’s good with my Sneakerhead family? I’m attempting to knock the dust off and get the blog jumping again, so prepare for random blog drops and of course some of my famous rants (I know y’all love em). So who scored on the Air Jordan 1 restock? I heard them things sold out in milliseconds, I didn’t attempt because I have no time for catching Ls.

There has been a lot of drops lately, not from one but from ALL of the brands. Restocks, collaborations, new colorways and everything in between. While it creates great variety allowing everyone to find something they like, I have to ask “Is the shoe game being saturated?”. I ask, but it is almost a rhetorical question because we all know it is. While I could completely dissect and break it all down, nobody would want to read it all and I don’t want to write it all. So, we’ll focus on a few of the bigger brands. If you caught my “What’s been going on?” blog, you’ll recall my mention of Nike feeling some type of way about Adidas growth. Therefore Nike has been hitting the gas to stay ahead of competitors. They’ve started by releasing the OG uptempo with the iconic “AIR” on the side. Initially I was excited, now they have released more colors than you get in a box of crayons. Then Nike created the Vapormax, an innovative comfortable shoe with flyknit upper and complete air bubble sole. Nice right? Right up until they released 20 eleven colors. But wait there’s more, Nike created an collaboration with Off-White. That collaboration seems like it has turned into a full partnership with Off-White recreating all of Nike’s classics. Looks like Nike is running out of ideas and are just recycling them at this point.

Moving along to Adidas, the OG 3 striped sneaker giant that has recreated itself with nice collaborations and the boost technology. I have not personally owned a pair of boost anything, so I can not attest to how comfortable they are. But the way everybody and their mother has been riding the boost wave they must be comfortable, that or people are sheep. Don’t worry,  I won’t go there in this blog….Adidas has released every style of ultra boost and NMD you can think of: caged, uncaged, behind bars, fresh out, runner, walker, sock, no sock, training, cross training, no training and so on and so forth. Oh and the Yeezys? They are going to ride those until the wheels fall off, Adidas just released photos of the new yeezy lineup and it might be the worst yet….. but hey, if they are buying then keep selling, I guess.

Then there is the Jordan brand, who has saturated the shoe game more than any other brand (barely, they’re neck and neck with Adidas). Releasing shoe after shoe, weekend after weekend with sub par colorways and little to no creativity. Remember how Jordans use to sit on shelves? Exactly!! Jordans have never just sat on shelves, unless the retail was pushing $350. My point is that they’re flooding the market with so many shoes that the average Sneakerhead can’t keep up. So shoes sit on shelves and collect dust, ending up at outlets…. where I happen to shop and will gladly pay a fraction of the price lol.

I feel like the brands are so busy trying to out compete each other that they haven’t noticed how flooded the market is; or maybe they don’t care and they’re just trying to push shoes. Whatever the case may be, the shoe game is definitely saturated right now. To the point shoes are releasing in the middle of the week. Back in the day that was unheard of, especially since we all got paid on Fridays. Nike and Jordan knew when that direct deposit hit…. now they got people out here like fiends, scraping money for shoes that drop Tuesday because you didn’t get paid yet. But, you just have to have them (taps vein in arm). At first I thought “well, if we stop buying then the companies will see the drop in numbers and adjust accordingly, not flooding the market” I was wrong though. Regardless of shoes sitting on shelves and Sneakerheads spending less, these shoe companies continue to flood the market with shoe after shoe after shoe…..I guess that just leaves everyone with multiple options these days, shout out to the saturated state of the shoe game…..I guess, as always cop heavy, keep em fresh and the soles icy. #Salute

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook.com: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

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MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, LINKS ARE BELOW:

Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T1C3YAQ

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640

What’s been going on???

What’s good with my Sneakerhead fam? It has been a long hiatus, but I missed my people and I missed writing so here I am…. and I hope there you go. What’s everybody copping these days? Are y’all still in love with the sneaker game or has it left a sour taste in your mouth???

Adidas has been doing their thing lately huh? Boost, Yeezy, Pharell, Yohji Yamamoto and a lot of the classics coming to the forefront of the sneaker game. Been seeing more Adidas than Nikes on feet lately and I think Nike is starting to feel the heat. Don’t get me wrong, Nike is still the big dog….. but I think they have seen a shift in trends and sales.

So what does Nike do? Start re-releasing all the classics… from Uptempos to OG colorways of Foamposite Ones. Trying to play on the psychological, get you reminiscing and all nostalgic so you run out and buy those shoes that “take you back”. If that doesn’t do it, Nike has released the Vapormax running shoe. A shoe with a lightweight flyknit upper and soles that are all air bubble. Something fresh, innovative and just in time for summer.

Y’all remember Under Armour? Yeah they fell off after the Curry 2.5. Mainly because the Curry 3 low looked like the newest installment of “Dad shoes” or nurse slippers. Making it hard to be taken serious, not to mention big UA previously used on kicks didn’t cut it aesthetically. Things have gotten so bad that the company had to layoff employees, close to the tune of 250 jobs smh. Under Armour might not be in the shoe game for much longer if they keep this up.

Reebok is still around, flying under the radar. Always known for being a top but brand but not top 3. Reebok is dropping some nice kicks, most are just overshadowed by their competitors. But don’t be soo quick to count Reebok out, they have a new collaboration with rap artist Future and also a Supreme collaborations in the works. Pics have already leaked for both collabs so be on the lookout. They have some more in the works, but I don’t want to spoil it for you lol.

Vans vans vans…..A classic in its own right. The brand has always been consistent, but they’ve been making noise with wonderful color blocking, smooth materials and great collaborations that turn heads. Staying true to who they are has been the defining theme for vans and they do it well. Whether it is lows, slip-ons or Sk8 hi the execution is always nice. Plus they work well for any occasion from casual to fancy (if you know what you’re doing).

Then there is Jordan….. who is inconsistent in every way from materials to colorways to pricing. Jordan is definitely falling from grace, flooding the market with shoes that leave a lot to be desired. There’s no real creativity anymore, they’re just recycling ideas and re releasing classics with unappealing twist. Remember Jordan supposedly being remastered? Yeah, that was almost as big of a joke as the Curry 3 lows (Dad shoes). Sad to say Jordan is not living up to expectations or the name for that matter.

There’s a lot of brands I have yet to address, think I’ll make a part 2 or an international “What’s been going on?” to shed light on the rest of the Sneakerhead heat available to us all. There are a lot of sleeper brands in the U.S. that are major overseas so I can not leave them out. That wouldn’t be fair…..as always cop heavy, keep em fresh and the soles icy. #Salute

Feel free to connect with and follow me on my social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneaker.head.90260

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kickzandsneakerz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrSneaker_Head

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, LINKS ARE BELOW:

Its More Than Just Buying Sneakers:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id963634845

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-more-than-just-buying-sneakers-jelani-evans/1121141429?ean=2940150212640