Ross Dwyer

Takashi Murakami is one of the greatest artists of our generation. His sculptures, paintings, and album covers (Kanye West’s Graduation still boasts some of the best album artwork of all time thanks to Takashi-pom) have influenced many, and the mark he’s left on the cultural landscape is nothing short of amazing.

However, with that kind of longevity it was inevitable that he did something less than great sooner or later … and that something that was less than great was a pair of shoes. read more

There are certain shoes on the market that are going to be associated with older folks off the strength. Shoes that are usually worn with calf-high socks and cargo shorts. Shoes commonly found at retirement homes.

The New Balance 990 is one of those shoes. For most, when you bring it up, they see it as a shoe for old folks. But it’s more than just that.

The 990 is a low-key fashion icon, as strange as that sounds. Everyone from normcore (yes, that’s still a thing) nerds to Lil Uzi Vert (who loves the shoe so much he even rapped “990, that’s the Newbies” in “Canadian Goose” rock the 990’s heavy, and despite what you may think, they’re not a shoe that just belongs in your granddad’s closet. read more

The Nike SF-AF1 has become one of our favorite new shoes currently on the market.

But it didn’t start that way. We were iffy at first. We thought they were a bit too Yeezy-esque. We didn’t like the look. But they grew on us. More and more fire colorways kept releasing, and as we saw more street style shoots, we came around on them.

Because of that, we’re more willing to give the new SF-AF1 Mids a chance than we’d normally be. What made the SF-AF1 unique was its super high high top, something that’s not present on the mid. The mid looks like a cross between an AF1 Mid and an AF1 High … so it’s unique to say the very least. The ‘Tiger Camo” pair at the top of this article will be the first colorway to debut, and we’re interested to see what the response will be like. read more

The Nike VaporMax is a great shoe. Clean, futuristic, wearable, and comfortable. It’s killing things on the collaborative side too. The CDG VaporMax are one of the most valuable shoes of the year so far, and the recently-announced CLOT collaboration is making waves all of its own too.

However, we’re here today to talk about the “Day To Night Pack”. 5 colorways of the VaporMax, representing the turn of day to night. Arctic Pink, Violet Dust, Glacier Blue, Blue Orbit, and College Navy. 5 tonal unisex colors that bridge the gamut from morning to evening. read more

As a rule of thumb, we’re pretty iffy on updated versions of classic shoes. Like we’ve mentioned before, sometimes the combination of old and new just flat-out works, and other times it looks garish and clashes terribly. There’s not a lot of middle ground as far as we’re concerned … it’s either pretty good or pretty bad. Thankfully the Stan Smith Boost falls into the former category and not the latter.

The Boost replaces the classic rubber midsole perfectly, and is not really all that noticeable unless you’re looking directly at it. That’s how updated classics should be: all the subtle detail of the original with just a little bit of modern flair for cultural purposes. You won’t notice the Boost midsole unless you’re looking for it … but you will notice and appreciate the new-age comfort. read more

Kanye West has really, truly got the Midas touch.

Any word, font, or colorway he likes is automatically a hit. Just look at any of his Calabasas stuff. A random city in California. A font that’s already been ripped off a million times. A bunch of cool but overpriced sportswear that blew off the shelves like nobody’s business. It’s impressive. His brand is all-powerful.

However, with all that hype comes a whole lot of fatigue, and we’ve gotta say that we’re flat-out tired of the Calabasas stuff. It’s been ripped off so many times that even the real product is hardly cool anymore … and the Yeezy customs by Mache at the top of this article are a prime example. read more

Any long-time KicksOneTwo reader knows at least two things about us: we generally praise Jordan I’s, and we generally are iffy on customs. However, we have enjoyed many a custom Jordan I … especially any camo pair. So needless to say … we’re pretty hyped on the new Jordan I “Camo Pack” that’s dropping soon (there’s no official release date just yet).

The shoes will be offered in two different colorways, the “Shadow” and the “Banned”. The “Shadow” colorway features a grey, white, and black tonal look while the “Banned” colorway trades in the tonal styling for some bright red accents. Both aren’t the best summer shoes … but would be perfect for the fall/winter months, and both sport a new “Air 23” graphic on the heel. read more