Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. It should go without saying, but 2023 has been a weird year for sneakers. It’s not that we haven’t had good drops, we’ve had a bunch of them. But we’re 8 months into the year and there still isn’t a single stand-out release we can point to that has clearly won the year. Do you know what does come to mind though? MSCHF’s Big Red Boots are a ridiculous sneaker release sure, and one that got everyone talking and captured eyes on the internet more than any other shoe.
Now, we’re not saying the Big Red Boot is the best sneaker drop of the year. That would be ridiculous. It’s just that it’s the most noteworthy and conversation-starting. If you hate the Big Red Boot, we totally understand. We also have very bad news for you. The Big Red Boot is back. Only this time it’s yellow and MSCHF has teamed up with Crocs. It feels tailor-made to make sneakerheads outraged and, admittedly, that’s why we love it.
Don’t worry, there are still plenty of other sneaker releases out there if the boots aren’t for you, namely some new Jordans, beautiful Humanrace Sambas, and Billie Eilish’s latest Nike collaboration. Let’s dive in!
Billie Eilish x Nike Alpha Force 88
Price: $130
I’m not entirely sure why Billie Eilish’s Nike releases don’t have the same amount of hype as Travis Scott’s. Sure, Eilish’s signature Nikes aren’t radical departures as you’ll find with the Cactus Jack Nike designs, but she has consistently delivered dope takes and updates on Nike’s famed silhouettes. We can’t say the same for Scott.
Case in point, Eilish’s version of the Nike Alpha Force 88. This sneaker sports a synthetic leather and recycled textile upper with recycled polyester lining and Billie’s custom debossed logo with a sleek partially obscured swoosh. It’s just a great-looking shoe, whether you’re a Billie Eilish fan or not.
The Billie Eilish x Nike Alpha Force 88 is out now for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app, and the Billie Eilish webstore.
Nike Air Flight Huarache Black and Varsity Purple
Price: $125
Laker fans are going to love this one! The newest Air Huarache colorway features Tinker Hatfield’s bold design draped in LA colors, with a mix of royal purple at the base encased in a black shroud with golden accents throughout. Nick Air cushioning at the heel and forefoot ensures a comfortable step and peak court performance for those days you feel like pretending you’re even half as good as Kobe.
You may not be playing at Mamba’s level, but you sure look great and that’s all that matters!
The Nike Air Flight Huarache Black and Varsity Purple is set to drop on August 10th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $125. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Nike Air Jordan 2 Retro Low Varsity Royal
Price: $150
This year we’ve been given all sorts of reimagining of the Jordan 2 — but sometimes a simple update is all that is needed. That’s what the Varsity Royal achieves, it does little to change the overall build and design of the AJ-2, but swaps out the OG colorway with a mix of Royal Blue, Muslin, and black colors. It’s sporty, and simple, and highlights the original design of this ahead of its time silhouette.
Never has a shoe done less and still looked so luxurious.
The Nike Air Jordan 2 Retro Low Varsity Royal is set to drop on August 10th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Nike Air Jordan 12 Field Purple
Price: $200
Nike continues to salute the Lakers with this Field Purple colorway of the Air Jordan 12. It’s less blatantly Lakers-related than this week’s Air Huarache, but the purple and gold team is still repped in this premium sneaker via the Field Purple mudguard and embroidered Jumpman logo, and polished golden eyelets.
The sneaker sports lizard print leather at the mudguard and tumbled leather along the base upper.
The Nike Air Jordan 12 Field Purple is set to drop on August 12th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Adidas Humanrace Samba Tones
Price: $200
While Pharrell is busy being the new creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, the icon is still making time to tend to his Humanrace Adidas label. This time by reimagining the classic Samba for the 21st century. The new design ups the production quality with an ECCO leather upper, leather lace closure, leather tongue, and full leather lining. It takes an iconic design and outfits it with a luxury leather build. It’s a simple but effective move.
The sneaker drops in three triple-dipped colorways — White, Terracotta, and Charcoal.
The Adidas Humanrace Samba is set to drop on August 12th at 7:00 Am PST for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Adidas CONFIRMED app.
Crocs x MSCHF Big Yellow Boots
Price: $450
MSCHF saw how the internet reacted to its Astro Boy-inspired Big Red Boot and decided to make the design even more polarizing by collaborating with Crocs, another polarizing brand in the sneaker community. Respect! It takes guts to drop a sneaker like this. The boot sports Croc’s iconic ale pattern design and strap and slaps it on the Big Red Boot silhouette. It looks even more ridiculous than the originals.
As part of the ad campaign, the brand recruited Paris Hilton. It makes sense as we’re living in the era of Y2K revival and no celebrity embodies the era more than Paris.
The Crocs x MSCHF Big Yellow Boots are set to drop on August 9th for a retail price of $450. Pick up a pair via the MSCHF webstore.
New Balance ALD X New Balance 550 Warm Sand with Afterglow/True Brown with Sandstone
Price: $129.99
Aime Leon Dore helped to bring the New Balance 550 out of the brand’s vaults, so it’s always exciting when the brand drops new iterations of the silhouette. But this reimagining — dubbed the ‘Basketball Oxford’ — is the most radical take ALD has ever given us yet.
Featuring hairy suede overlays over a canvas build, the Basketball Oxfords sport a nylon tongue, woven tongue label, two-tone midsole, and co-branded details over a warm sand colorway. It looks great and is a solid way to close out this week’s SNX.
The New Balance ALD x New Balance 550 is set to drop on August 9th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $129.99. Pick up a pair via the New Balance webstore.
