This Weekend's Essential Sneaker Drops: Week Of April 2 2016

Despite being delayed a week, the French Blue XIIs will drop this weekend in a full complement of sizes, from toddlers all the way up to men’s sizes. Even though it’s taken a while for the AJ XII to get some love (and let’s be honest, coming right after the world-shattering AJ XI, it had a pretty big shadow to escape), people have realized you can’t go wrong with a two-toned AJ XII these days. The upper is split between a sparkling white upper and a French blue mudguard and sole.  Let’s hope people don’t start doing the 'all French Blue’ look like they did when the Vivid Pinks dropped a few weeks ago. That’s something that the world doesn’t need right now. Possibly ever. 

When? 2nd April, 2016

Where? Nike (Online), Foot Locker (Nationwide)

One of the great Nike running shoes of the '90s finally gets a long-awaited rebirth this year. After flirting with a re-release last year in a special collaboration with Sweden’s Sneakersnstuff, NikeLab have retroed the Talaria in its original Neon Yellow (the precursor to the omnipresent Volt colourway of today). As with most NikeLab releases these days, look for some tonal releases to follow once the OG is released.

When? 31st March, 2016

Where? Supply (Sydney)

All-red tonal kicks may be a fading trend, but that hasn’t stopped Jordan brand dropping another shoe in this neck-snapping makeup. The entire shoe is made up of a combination of Gym Red and University Red (which is kind of redundant for the most part), with hit of Hyper Turquoise breaking up the outsole and the insole, and finished with a snakeskin print in a nod to the shoe’s luxurious past. These are scheduled to release in men’s sizes this weekend.

When? 2nd April, 2016

Where? Foot Locker (Nationwide)

With their ASICS Tiger division leading the charge with lifestyle footwear, the performance athletic parent ASICS has launched the Gel-Noosa Tri 11 “White Noise” pack for the fashion conscious athletes. A two-pack of monochromatic tonal performance runners, both pairs feature speckled midsoles and “Noosa” branding on the heels. While the regular Noosa Tri 11s feature wild rainbow colour schemes, this pack will definitely be welcomed by those that are serious about their running and fashion. Featuring the best of modern ASICS performance technology, look for these at select ASICS retailers this Friday.

When? 1st April, 2016

Where? ASICS (Online), Highs & Lows (Perth), Prime (Melbourne), Sneakerboy (Sydney/Melbourne), Above The Clouds (Sydney), Laced (Brisbane)

Before Kendrick Lamar teamed up with Reebok for his run of gang-related sneakers, he was rapping about wearing Nike Cortez. One of the most recognizable Nike silhouettes ever produced gets a subtle makeover, utilizing a simple Desert Camo inspired palette. Both pairs feature desert tan, black and white on the denim/suede upper, with a quick colour flip on top of the white midsole. Special branding on the heel finishes off a simple but timeless sneaker.

When? 31st March, 2016

Where? Nike (Online)

Nike Basketball aren’t shy about producing an insane amount of colourways for all their models, but there’s always a few model-specific makeups that get collectors just that little bit more eager. The classic yellow/black/red colourway (affectionately known as the “Bruce Lee”)   has been an irregular addition to the Kobe range ever since the Kobe V. This time around, the shoe takes full advantage of the Flyknit upper and blends the yellow and black colour scheme beautifully, offset with subtle but effective red accents. Sitting on top of a completely blacked out translucent sole, these will be a sought-after shoe this weekend.

When? 31st March, 2016

When? Nike (Online)