Welcome to SNX DLX! This week we’ve got fresh new sneakers from some old friends — yes, we count Nora Vasconcellos, Kanye West, and Pharrell as friends of the series, wouldn’t you? — and some new, thanks to Bad Bunny’s first collaborative sneaker with Adidas. It’s a major step up from the reggaeton star’s Croc collaboration, we can promise you that!
Rounding out the list you’ll find some new looks out of New Balance Japan, a sleek pair of Jordan IIIs with a classic colorway, and the repeatedly postponed Love Letter iteration of the Nike Air Max, which may have come a month late, but… better later than never. If you’re looking for an outfit to complete the fit, be sure to check out last week’s apparel roundup after you scan this week’s best kicks.
Let’s get it!
Bad Bunny x Adidas Forum Low Buckle The First Cafe
Hot on the heels of winning a Grammy for his album YHLQMDLG Bad Bunny is in the midst of a victory lap. In just two days he has received his first Grammy win, and now his first Adidas sneaker collab has dropped, what will the end of the week bring us from the Puerto Rican trap star? Who knows, but it feels like Bad Bunny is about to blast off into the moon!
While BB is no stranger to the footwear game (dude designedsome Crocs because, of course), this is his first sneaker and according to Adidas this is merely the start of a much longer collaboration. The Adidas answer to Nike’s Travis Scott drops? Sounds like it.
Inspired by BB’s morning ritual of drinking a hot cup of coffee, the First Café features a beige, brown, and cream white colorway across a Forum Low silhouette that makes it resemble, well, a cup of coffee. Rounding out the design is a set of brown or blue laces (or both!) and a reinforced buckle that reads Yo Visto Así, which is the name of one of BB’s tracks on 2020s El Último Tour del Mundo and translates to “I dress like this.”
The Bad Bunny x Adidas Forum Low Buckley “The First Cafe” is set to drop on March 17th for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair via the Adidas confirmed app, select Adidas retailers, the aftermarket and, if you’re in Puerto Rico, Uber Eats.
Nora x Adidas Gazelle ADV
We’re big fans of pro skater Nora Vasconcellos — both for her skills on a deck and the pastel aesthetic she’s been infusing into her sneaker and apparel line with Adidas. The latest piece from the star features a fresh take on the Gazelle silhouette with a white leather upper beside nubuck suede detailing, an exposed foam tongue, and Adidas’ Soft Vision Purple on the sneaker’s throat and three-stripes.
The design is rounded out with original art and words by Vasconcellos along the heel tab and sock liner. It’s simple and clean, another solid effort from Vasconcellos, Adidas best skate shoe collaborator that isn’t Blondey McCoy.
The Nora x Adidas Gazelle is out now for a retail price of $100. Pick up a pair at the Adidas webstore.
Nike WMNS Air Max 90 Love Letter
The WMNS-exclusive Air Max 90 Love Letter has been postponed so many times, they might as well have renamed the sneaker. It’s clear that this release was originally meant for Valentine’s Day weekend, but now… here it is!
Sure the theme doesn’t quite connect anymore. But the Love Letter is still a dope look.
Featuring a white upper with pink suede paneling, the Love Letter utilizes core white, university red, and tulip pink colorways for a solid design that showcases the best the Air Max has to offer.
The Nike WMNS-exclusive Air Max 90 Love letter is set to drop on March 16th for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair at select Nike retailers and aftermarket sites like GOAT and StockX.
Auralee x New Balance Tokyo Design Studio R_C2
Coming out of New Balance Japan and made in collaboration with premium Japanese clothing label Auralee, the New Balance R_C2 features an elegant upper of muted pink or forest green and is reinforced with GORE-TEX lining for a sneaker that combines that high-quality construction of a New Balance silhouette dressed in Auralee’s muted and elegant aesthetic.
This baby is ultra-clean in both color options, and the whole thing sits atop a slip-resistant outsole. We’re not sure why you’d ever need that, but we felt it was worth mentioning.
The Auralee x New Balance Tokyo Design Studio R_C2 is set to drop on March 19th for a retail price of $260. Pick up at SSENSE.
Pharrell x Adidas PW Triple Black Collection
Pharrell is dropping his largest collection with Adidas yet with the super sleek Triple Black Collection. Consisting of a Hu NMD, Terrex Free Hiker, D.O.N. Issue 2, Crazy BYW, Trailmaker Mid (with GORE-TEX!), and 0 to 60 silhouette, this six sneaker collection features a mix of Adidas classics and new designs made in collaboration with Pharrell.
The entire collection is dropping in a single colorway — Triple Black — and comes accompanied by an apparel collection that also utilizes the famous Adidas colorway. If you ever wondered what Darth Vader’s sneaker closet would look like, this is it!
The Pharrell x Adidas PW Triple Black collection is set to drop on March 19th for a retail range of $110 to $220. Check out the full collection at Adidas.
Adidas Yeezy QNTM Sea Teal
This sneaker straight up looks like a mountain. A snowy chunk of rock you might see looming in the distance along some never-ending road trip. We gotta hand it to Ye, this is probably his best iteration of the Yeezy QNTM, it mixes the futuristic and minimal design with the best of Yeezy’s earth-toned textured uppers. Proof that Ye’s still got the fire.
The Adidas Yeezy QNTM Sea Teal is set to drop on March 19th for a retail price of $250. Pick up a pair at the Adidas webstore or via Yeezy Supply.
Air Jordan III Midnight Navy (Georgetown)
Dressed in the signature colors of the Hoyas (no stranger to Michael Jordan, he crushed the team on his way up to an NCAA national championship) this colorway is another great iteration of one of Nike and Tinker Hatfield’s greatest designs.
Featuring an upper of navy blue tumbled leather which pairs perfectly with the gray-scale elephant print overlays, the Midnight Navy III sports an embroidered navy Jumpman logo over a synthetic leather tongue and matching outsole. A polyurethane midsole keeps this sneaker extra light.
The Air Jordan III Midnight Navy is set to drop on March 20th for a retail price of $190. Pick up a pair at GOAT.
Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 Ash Pearl
Looking at the newest Yeezy 350 colorway you might think you’ve seen Ash Pearl before, but you haven’t quite seen this mix of throw-up-like earth tones.
This one isn’t a groundbreaking makeup of Yeezy’s most popular shoe, but that’s not what 350 fans expect from the brand. This isn’t just Ye’s most popular sneaker, it’s his most consistent, for better or worse.
The Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 Ash Peal is set to drop on March 20th for a retail price of $220. Pick up a pair at GOAT.
