This Weekend's Essential Sneaker Drops: Week Of April 16 2016

Are you man enough to wear the KD8 Elites?

Apr 13, 2016

We have a little bit of everything this week, featuring heavy hitters with a sports flavor. Nike Basketball celebrate the start of the NBA Playoffs with the Elite versions of their KD and LeBron models, Jordan Brand pump out another blacked-out retro and adidas continue their fashionable take on footwear with another Tubular soled sock. The power pack of the week though is the collaboration between Concepts and New Balance, with their City Rivals pack. Get ready to do a 24-hour bid for these, it’s going to get wild out there.

Concepts x New Balance 997 & 998 “City Rivalry Pack”

Image via Up There Store

Sure, I could go on about the finer details of this pack and how it refers some really obscure shit, but I’m not going to do that. The fact is, that Concepts has a near perfect strike rate when it comes to New Balance collaborations and have done it again with this killer pack. A green/teal 997 sure to have people screaming Tiffany & Co., and a 998 that looks ultra-luxe. Both pairs are draped in high-grade suede and continue on Concept’s tradition of putting out New Balance heaters. 

When? 16th April, 2016

Where? Up There (Melbourne), Highs & Lows (Perth), Laced (Brisbane), Above The Clouds (Sydney)

Nike Basketball Playoffs 2016

It's NBA Playoffs time, and that means Nike Basketball unleashes the “Elite” versions of their basketball collection. King James sees the Armorposite upper – which has been a feature of nearly all his shoes – switched out in favour of a pliable Kurim material, providing extra lockdown yet remaining flexible.The overall silhouette doesn’t change much from the regular LeBron 13, down to the same midsole featuring Hex-Zoom cushioning.

The Slim Reaper however serves up an insane reworking of his KD8. Adding plastic cages to the existing Flyweave upper for additional support, the KD8 adds a wildly high inner sock-bootie that should turn heads everywhere. Soon to be inducted Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and his sleeve-wearing self of old would definitely approve.

When? 16th April, 2016

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

Jordan IX Low

Yet another new Jordan Retro colourway drops this weekend, both in Mens and GS sizing. Taking the Jordan IX Low silhouette, Jordan Brand uses the exact same colour-blocking as the old 2010 Citrus IX release, but flips the orange for a Gym Red. One nice addition is a faux snakeskin leather trim around the shoe. 

When? 16th April, 2016

Where? Nike (Online), Foot Locker (Nationwide), Laced (Brisbane), Sure (Melbourne), Highs & Lows (Perth)

adidas Originals Tubular Doom “Triple Black”

The tre-foil is showing no chill with their all-new futuristic athleisure silhouettes in 2016. On the back of the popular Tubular that released last year, adidas have pushed the design envelope even further with the morbidly named “Tubular Doom”. A hybrid sock upper is fused to the wild grooved tubular sole (for your protection ... from slippage), this release goes the full blown #Fashion (or #Goth – kind of the same thing these days) route and features all black everything. With wild silhouettes in tonal colours being the hottest thing out there right now, adidas is sure to have the punters out in droves for this release.

When? 15th April, 2016

Where? adidas (Online), Laced (Brisbane)

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