Point of View

We’re not talking about shoes right now. We’re talking about sports. More specifically, we’re talking about baseball. The World Series. Game 7. An incredible game with superhuman performances from players on both sides. Extra innings. What more could you ask for in a game? Not much.

As I type this, the game is on rain delay, with the top of the 10th set to start in about ten minutes (just announced by the broadcast crew). I don’t know what’s going to happen. My money, if I was a betting man, would be on the Indians at this point. Rajai Davis’s incredible home run and their narrow escape in the top of the 9th seem to have given them the juice. They’re on the field getting warmed up, and look loose and relaxed. read more

Military themes and colors have always played a large part in sneaker and clothing design … and that’s never been more evident than it is now. A few years ago it was camp, but now tonal, earthy colors like browns, beiges and greens have taken over the sneaker/street fashion world.

Kanye West has had great success with his tonal boots, and Nike’s military-inspired NikeLab releases have brought them much fanfare as well … so they’re amping up the military inspiration with their new SF-AF 1. read more

The Bapesta. Babe’s flagship model. A shoe that’s enjoyed a resurgence lately, thanks to clean in-line models like the one above as well as collaborations with the likes of Kith. It’s a unique sneaker in that it looks exactly like another established shoe (Air Force 1), but has a style, persona, and history all its own.

So today we’re asking: where’s the Bapesta’s place in the sneaker game? Let’s delve into it and find right out.

We mentioned above that the Bapesta has enjoyed a recent surge in popularity, mainly owing to clean releases, and a renewed desire for Bape in general, as most of the kids who were too young to afford it in the early 2000’s and couldn’t afford it when it first hit stateside are now old enough to buy it. Although it looks exactly like an Air Force I, there’s not a lot of crossover. You won’t see most of the people who wear Forces wearing Bapestas, and that’s because it’s two different target audiences. read more

The 2016 Doernbecher Freestyle collection was recently unveiled (with a release date of December 17th), and as always, there’s some crazy, outlandish, fun shoes dropping. And you know what we’ve got to do whenever there’s a pack or collection of some sort: we’ve got to rank it. So we’re going to go ahead and rank all 6 shoes in this year’s Doernbecher pack, plus provide our thoughts on them. Before we start, we’d like to mention that we understand that all the shoes have a great backstory and mean something to the kid who created them. We’re just ranking them based on what we like the best. Nothing more, nothing less. So without further ado, let’s get to it. read more

The Ultra Boost is a fantastic shoe. The first two installments of Adidas’s most premium model both changed the sneaker game, first with their otherworldly comfort and then (on the second model) with extra durability courtesy of a Continental rubber outsole.

Yeah, the Ultra Boost is a great shoe. It was a day of sadness at KicksOneTwo when we realized there would be a hiatus from one of our favorite shoes on the market after all the 2.o releases were done (we’re not gonna lie, we were worried it might be quite a long wait before we saw something new), but we were thrilled this week when it was announced that the Ultra Boost 3.0 would be arriving … well … sooner or later (there’s no official release date just yet). read more

The Ultra Boost vs. the NMD. Two of the most gassed shoes on the market, both courtesy of Adidas, and both featuring the best cushioning technology on the market, Boost foam. Some sneakerheads prefer the Ultra Boost. Some prefer the NMD. A lot of sneaker heads love them both. But today’s the day we crown a champion.

We’re throwing them in the ring, using boxing-style scoring (winner gets 10 points, the opponent 9 or less) to determine which shoe is better … and as it is a championship match after all, there will be five rounds, each focused on a different category. Let’s get right to it. read more

2016’s beginning to wind down just a touch. We’ve got a little over two months left, and with holiday releases right around the corner, we’ll get one last infusion of heat before 2016 turns to 2017 and a new year, both on the calendar and sneakers are upon us.

There’s been a lot of heat so far this year. Adidas has been doing their thing (as always) with Yeezys, Ultra Boosts, and NMD’s. New Balance and Saucony came correct with the collaborations. Nike Sportswear was a strong player. But one of the things we’ve been most excited about this year is Jordan Brand, mainly how they’re doing their thing with the Jordan I. read more

Every time there’s a Yeezy release, you’re bound to hear a fair amount of whining and complaining. Maybe it’s someone complaining about how they got cart-jacked. Maybe it’s someone complaining about bots. Maybe it’s someone complaining that they just flat-out never get lucky on releases.

We sympathize with all of those complaints. The sneaker game can be a rough one, and companies are constantly trying to find new ways to make releases fair for everyone. The latest “solution”? A purchasing app called Frenzy. read more

Jordan Pinnacle: a name that always brings excitement. With the Pinnacle line, you already know you’ll be getting top-notch quality and a creative design, so there’s many a reason to be excited when you hear a new shoe is releasing.

Well, come October 22nd, we’ll get 3: a Jordan VI inspired by MJ’s first championship, a low-top Swooshless Jordan I (a true sleeper shoe this year, didn’t get nearly as much love as it deserved), and a slide for all the cozy boys out there. We’re intrigued by the pack as a whole, so we figured we should share our thoughts on each of the shoes (and sandal) in the pack. Let’s get it. read more

DJ Khaled. Snapchat mogul. Record producer. Well-connected businessman. Champs Sports store owner.

What, what? DJ Khaled, Champs Sports store owner? Yes, you read that right. Your eyes are not deceiving you. DJ Khaled “owns” his own Champs Sports store. How’d this come about? Valid question.

Khaled has recently established a reputation for himself as a major player in the sneaker game. Although his knowledge of shoes might be somewhat questionable, his penchant for coming up with funny names for his kicks and his lovable bombastic banter have made him a celebrity in the sneaker world. read more