sneaker culture
-
Did You Know Kobe Bryant and Nike Were Reportedly Headed Towards a Bitter Divorce Prior to His Death? Yeah, I Didn't Either
Do you remember Alicia Keys’ “Unbreakable”? Built around a sample of Eddie Kendricks’ breezy 1977 hit “Intimate Friends,” Keys invokes just about every famous Black couple in the history of ever—Will and Jada, Oprah and Stedman; even Flo and James Evans—as a point of reference to reaffirm the fact that her own rapport with her…
-
Under Armour, Steph Curry Are Coming for Michael Jordan's Empire With the Launch of Brand Curry
Hypebeasts know that when it comes to this sneaker shit, Jordan Brand has been wearing the crown for almost 40 years. Since its debut in 1984 with the Air Jordan 1, Nike has been flooding the streets with some of the coldest footwear to ever touch the market. And eager to challenge its reign and…
-
10 Potential Reasons Why Nike's SNKRS App Won't Let Me Be Great
This past weekend I did what I’ve done almost every weekend this year: took another L on the Nike SNKRS app. If you’re into buying sneakers, I’m sure some (if not most) of you can feel me. What is the SNKRS app? I’m glad you asked. The SNKRS app is the means by which Nike…
-
A Classic, Remixed: Converse Debuts a Harlem Toile-Inspired Collab With Interiors Maven Sheila Bridges and More
In the canon of interior design, Sheila Bridges is a modern icon, becoming well-known by her trademark of infusing Blackness into the Eurocentric fabric art known as “Toile de Jouy” (most often simply referred to as “toile”). Traditionally, toile depicts pastoral scenes of frolicking French nobility and peasants of the Caucasian persuasion; Bridges’ spin on…
-
Dear Stan Smith(s), I Owe You an Apology
I don’t know exactly when my disdain for adidas Originals Stan Smith shoes started. I’m guessing it was somewhere in my 20s, a time culturally defined as grown-and-sexy that featured the coolest of the cool jettisoning super baggy clothing and jerseys in favor of button-ups and lifestyle tennis shoes to match said button-ups—thanks Jay-Z. The…
-
Hypebeasts Rejoice: The Air Force 1 Colin Kapernicks Promise to Be Your Latest Obsession
With his NFL career on an involuntary extended hiatus, quarterback turned activist Colin Kaepernick has turned his attention towards outside pursuits. He’s helped Nike’s market value skyrocket in addition to taking home an Emmy for their polarizing “Just Do It” campaign, and now Sneaker News reports that the two are joining forces for an Air…
-
The Glow Up’s Guide to Giving: Give Them Their Kicks
A funny thing happened this year at ComplexCon Chicago: I was turned into a late-blooming sneakerhead. Don’t get me wrong: I have plenty of sneakers, and I know what I like. And of course, I’m no stranger to the culture—though I may not have considered myself a “sneakerhead,” per se, The Glow Up has watched…
-
The Second City Turns Complex Community: ComplexCon Brings the ‘Cultural Super Bowl’ to Chicago This Weekend
Real talk? I’m not terribly prone to FOMO—I’m grown, respectably connected and have done my share of thangs, so to speak. Nevertheless, I must admit to feeling some significant event envy last fall when my press invite to ComplexCon once again got lost in the mail (and I may or may not have sent a…
-
Finally! According to the Obama Women, It Is Now Officially Sundress and Sneaker Season
All those weeks of feeling like it was taking forever to heat up finally make sense; we were waiting for our former forever first family to give us the go-ahead on summer! (I kid, I kid—or do I?) Thankfully, like a groundhog predicting the coming of spring, the first leaf to fall from a tree,…
-
Shaquille O’Neal Wants In On the Sneaker Biz: ‘I Would Love to Purchase Reebok’
Since his retirement from the NBA in 2011, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has been just as dominant as he was on the court. His estimated net worth of over $400 million is a byproduct of a diverse portfolio that includes franchise ownership, investments and lucrative endorsements with companies like Gold Bold and Carnival…