Living Icons: All About The New Balance “Iconic Collaboration” Pack

New Balance: a brand with a long, rich history. Known for their premium materials, quality craftsmanship, iconic silhouettes, and long-standing partnerships with legendary sneaker boutiques, the  Boston-based brand founded over 110 years ago boasts a loyal following both in the U.S. and abroad. But New Balance’s story stretches far beyond just high quality in-line releases: they’ve also been part of many a legendary collaboration.

Their massive collaborative success draws from two things: the no-holds barred approach they bring towards any collaborative effort and their boutique partners. When it comes to a collaborative shoe, New Balance isn’t the type of company to call up one of their high-profile retailers, slap two logos and a “new” colorway on an in-line model and call it a day. Their collabs come equipped with a backstory and design inspiration that is meaningful to both them and their collaborative partner, and the raw authenticity (and extremely high quality) of the finished product is typically what makes it special. read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail

What Would Drake Leaving Jordan For Adidas Mean?

“If Nike ain’t have Drizzy man, they wouldn’t have nothin!”

Hours before the clock struck midnight on December 31st, 2015, Kanye West released “Facts,” a now-legendary diss track with most of its venom and vitriol aimed at Nike, his former creative partner. He mentioned that they “treat employees just like slaves,” mocked them for having to give LeBron James a billion dollars not to “run away,” and most memorably stated that if Nike didn’t have partnerships with Drake and his close personal friend Donald “Don C” Crowley (of Just Don fame), they wouldn’t have any relevance in street or hip-hop culture. read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail

The 5 Best Accessories From Supreme’s S/S ’18 Season

It’s the undisputed truth: No brand in the world produces better accessories or lifestyle items than Supreme. Season after season, year after year, Supreme brings clever, funny, ironic, and (occasionally) surprisingly useful items to market, all adorned with their signature touch, and usually sporting their iconic logo and infamous red/white colorway. There’s a lot of excitement around their S/S ’18 clothing but there’s even more anticipation around the accessories, as this season presents a wide variety of great trinkets and knit-knacks, from small to gigantic. read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail

III SZN: The Stories Behind February & March’s Jordan III Releases

The Jordan III: arguably the greatest sneaker of all time. An iconic silhouette, crafted by a masterful designer for the best basketball player to ever set foot on the hardwood, it boasts a rich history both on and off the court and still speaks to sneakerheads around the world today, 30 years after its initial release in 1988.

Yes, the Jordan III is legendary in more than one way. The first Jordan sneaker to feature the now-ubiquitous Jumpman logo was also the first to use elephant print and offer an exposed heel air bag. Even more importantly than that, the Jordan III was also the shoe that saved Michael Jordan’s relationship with Nike. After the first two models, Jordan was thinking of jumping ship from the Swoosh, but the wizardry of a young Nike designer named Tinker Hatfield reeled him back in. The Jordan III’s unique design and luxurious materials were unlike anything ever seen before in sneakers, and frankly there would be no Jordan Brand as we know it without Tinker’s touch. It’s safe to say: sneakerheads around the world owe him a debt of gratitude. read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail

Noah S/S ’18 Looks Amazing

We love Noah here at KicksOneTwo.

The New York-based brand founded by former Supreme creative director Brendon Babenzien offers everything you could ask for: a refined and consistent aesthetic inspired by the sea, music, and New York’s culture (we spot cues from Babenzien’s time Supreme and 90’s Polo in the designs as well), tasteful collaborations that are meaningful both to the people behind the brand and their core audience (The Cure, Dover Street Market), excellent quality (you can check out an extensive archive of all their fabrics here) and a great deal of transparency behind how the products are made and why the price points are what they are (Babnzien once penned an in-depth article explaining exactly why their Two-Tone Parka cost $448). read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail

Supreme & The Air Force 1: A Collaborative History

When you think of something that’s quintessentially New York, what comes to your mind? Taxicabs? The subway? Bagels? Dollar slices? Pigeons? The classic navy-and-white Yankees cap? There’s many things in New York that have become larger than what they physically are, and over time have come to represent the ethos and spirit of the city. What comes to mind for us when we think of New York? Air Force 1’s and Supreme.

Why? Both have a rich history with the city: the Air Force 1 has been a New York style mainstay since its inception in 1982, coming to be affectionately known as the “Uptowns” due to its popularity in the uptown neighborhoods of the city, most notably Harlem where they grew into the cultural juggernaut that they are today. Supreme was established on Lafayette Street in Soho circa 1994, and his since grown to become one of the biggest and most influential brands in the world of fashion. read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail

Killer B’s: Brendon Babenzien and Bee Line Are A Match Made In Heaven

Brendon Babenzien, the new creative director of Billionaire Boys Club’s Bee Line

Billionaire Boys Club: one of the most well-known and storied brands in streetwear history. Since the brand’s inception in 2005, it’s managed to fuse Japanese and American street culture in an authentic manner that most brands could only dream of, due to Pharrell and Nigo (of Bathing Ape fame)’s unique space-inspired aesthetics.

Pharrell and Nigo wearing BBC and holding their “Diamond and Dollars” collaborative Reebok sneaker

The brand has released several legendary designs (who could forget the classic crest logo or the Diamonds and Dollars print?) and lived many lives since then, and even though it’s significantly more available (and less expensive) than it was when it was founded, BBC still stands strong in 2017 … and is now aiming to revive a mostly forgotten sub-label, their Bee Line. read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail

Dapper Dan And Gucci: A Truly Iconic Collaboration

More than any other major industry in the world today, fashion moves in cycles. Styles and trends that are old become new once again with the passage of time, and what’s considered cool one year can be damned to languish in mall chain-store obscurity the very next year until it completely collapses in on itself, and then inexplicably storms back to the forefront of cool yet again, aided by a timely celebrity co-sign or a fierce wave of nostalgia.

It certainly is an interesting time to be following fashion. If “less is more” was a saying most abided by a few years ago when monochromatic, low-key outfits were all the rage in the streets and on the runway, “more is more” would be the perfect way to describe the popular style of the past year-plus. read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail

All Good Things Must Come To A … Break.

The day I knew would come around sooner or later is finally here. I’d often thought about it, especially during the past few months, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m still struggling with this, but you’ve gotta do what you gotta do.

Tomorrow will be the first day in almost 3 years that there won’t be a new article on KicksOneTwo at 8AM CST.

Fear not, the site’s not going anywhere. I’m just taking a break.

When I started KicksOneTwo, I did it because I love sneakers, and I love to write. Fast-forwards to now, and I still love both. A major goal of mine was to get paid for writing … and that was a goal I achieved last summer when I got a job at Piff, the best store in the whole fucking world. read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail

The New DMP Pack Celebrates MJ’s Last Championship In Style

There’s nothing quite like a Jordan DMP pack. Two great shoes in one set celebrating a dope part of Michael Jordan’s career? Yeah, they’re just as much of a winner as they sound like, and the newest DMP release continues that tradition.

It consists of a XIII and and XIV done up in a white/gold and a black/gold colorway to commemorate MJ’s last championship in 1998. Quick backstory for those of you who might not be familiar: Michael wore the XIII’s for the first five games, and then switched to the XIV’s (marking the first time they’d ever been seen by the general public) for the last two. read more


Share KicksOneTwo
Facebooktwitterpinteresttumblrmail