It was an exciting weekend as this year's Lunar New Year celebration officially began the day before a thrilling finish to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. While many are still recovering from the festivities, there's still plenty more to look forward to as this week sees NBA All-Star Weekend take place in Indianapolis for the first time since 1985. Alongside various sneaker releases tied to the weekend from Nike, Jordan Brand, PUMA and adidas, New Balance and Crocs are also set to make noise. However, before we give you the full rundown of drops to prepare for, let's go ahead and take a look back at last week's major headlines.
Looking first to the feature front, the Hypebeast team assembled a round-up of the best Lunar New Year-themed sneakers of all time, including one pair from this week's edition of best footwear drops. From there, Nike had a relatively quiet week with its major moves involving the unveiling of Coach Prime's revamped Air DT Max '96 and Drake's NOCTA x Nike Air Zoom Drive in "White/Black." On the other hand, the Jumpman team kept busy with Usher appearing in custom Air Jordan 4s during his star-studded halftime performance at the Super Bowl. Beyond that, a first look at the $975 USD Air Jordan 1 "Wings" pairs that are made in Italy surfaced. As for the latest rumors, A Ma Maniére is said to have an Air Jordan 3 "Burgundy Crush" collaboration in the works, Travis Scott is expected to release a special Air Jordan 1 Low OG "Pale Vanilla" and a "Brown Cement" version of the Air Jordan 3 is reportedly on the way.
Elsewhere in the industry, adidas oversaw the release of its camo print-covered BAPE Stan Smiths while Wales Bonner surprised sneakerheads with the release of two adidas Sambas limited to 750 pairs each. Additional reveals from around the sneakerverse ranged from Kyrie Irving unveiling his ANTA Kai 1, COMME des GARÇONS HOMME's New Balance MR860 surfacing in two colorways and Salomon previewing ten new sneakers at USM Modular Furniture's latest event.
Now that you're up to speed with the footwear scene's biggest news of the past week, we can go ahead and dive into the most important launches of the next seven days. Afterwards, be sure to hit up HBX to shop sneakers that are available now.
Nike Air Force 1 Low "喜喜"
Release Date: February 14
Release Price: ¥2,599 RMB (approx. $361 USD)
Where to Buy: Nike China
Why You Should Cop: Nike has utilized the Air Force 1 Low as a canvas for celebrating Lunar New Year for decades, starting with 2002’s “Year of the Horse” rendition. Its approach has evolved over the years, culminating in what is one of the most premium takes on the silhouette of all time -- this "喜喜" pair. Commemorating the Year of the Dragon, it draws from the “Double Happiness” Chinese ligature that embraces joy and happiness by embellishing it with gold embroidery and silk detailing.
JJJJound x New Balance 2002R GORE-TEX
Release Date: February 15
Release Price: $190 USD
Where to Buy: JJJJound
Why You Should Cop: In case you missed out on last year’s JJJJound x New Balance 2002R, the duo have returned to the silhouette, this time preparing it with a GORE-TEX upper that is ready to take on the elements. Its presentations of “Pine” and “Charcoal” offer muted color schemes that complement the clouds of wintertime, while subtle co-branding is executed at the heel, sockliner and the white and gold packaging.
adidas Mad IIInfinity “Carbon”
Release Date: February 15
Release Price: $180 USD
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: It’s been almost a year since adidas Basketball unveiled its lineup of upcoming lifestyle silhouettes at the NBA’s 2023 All-Star Weekend. Now, it’s time for another one of those slick silhouettes to finally touch down on shelves ahead of this year’s All-Star Weekend festivities -- introducing the Mad IIInfinity. Debuting with a stealthy “Carbon” colorway, it serves as a modern twist on the Crazy 1.
Nike KD 4 “Galaxy”
Release Date: February 15
Release Price: $130 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: The Nike KD 4 “Galaxy” is an All-Star classic, having initially released back in 2012 alongside other out-of-this-world pairs. 12 years later, it’s time for the look to make a return as the KD 4 continues to receive love in 2024. Orange and silver go back and forth across the sneaker with the tongue sporting a special thematic graphic to go with the starry sky-inspired midsole.
Futura x Salehe Bembury x Crocs Pollex Clog
Release Date: February 15
Release Price: $95 USD
Where to Buy: BeASpunge
Why You Should Cop: Kicking off an exciting year of collaborations, Futura is teaming up with Salehe Bembury as the first artist featured in Bembury’s new Art Friends Thumbs Up Good Job (AFTUGJ) series. Bringing Futura’s artwork to life on the Pollex Clog, it sees a space-themed combination of blue and green joined by his atom motif, while hits of co-branding are scattered throughout.
Cheetos x PUMA Scoot Zeros
Release Date: February 16
Release Price: $100 USD
Where to Buy: PUMA
Why You Should Cop: Hot off of the release of his first signature shoe with PUMA, NBA rookie Scoot Henderson has teamed up with Cheetos to present a Flamin’ Hot rendition of the PUMA Scoot Zeros for the silhouette’s second drop. Its orange and black arrangement notably includes Chester Cheetah’s spots at the midfoot, while the special shoe box and bag recreates the snack’s instantly-recognizable packaging.
adidas AE1 “All-Star”
Release Date: February 16
Release Price: $120 USD
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: With his second successful All-Star campaign now complete, Anthony Edwards is celebrating with an “All-Star”-themed take on his first signature shoe with the Three Stripes. Outfitting the adidas AE1 in “Metallic Burgundy,” this iteration is sure to shine both on and off the court as it combines with black at the upper and outsole, while neon green accents are served at the branding elements.
Air Jordan 4 “Bred Reimagined”
Release Date: February 17
Release Price: $215 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: It has been 35 years since the Air Jordan 4 “Bred” first took the sneaker world by storm, and the look is still embraced to this day as an all-time great. In celebration of its 35th anniversary, Jordan Brand decided to switch things up by featuring it in the brand’s “Reimagined” series. The resulting pair utilizes leather across its upper instead of nubuck, with other tweaks made to bring it closer to the original look from 1989, including Nike Air branding at the heel.
Bad Bunny x adidas Response CL “Wonder White”
Release Date: February 17
Release Price: $160 USD
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: Bad Bunny and adidas have been suspiciously quiet in 2024, and it’s now time for that to change as the duo once again utilize Benito’s take on the Response CL with a new “Wonder White” makeover. Serving as a follow-up to last fall’s “Paso Fino” pair, it leverages an all-white build with sparing use of black at the midfoot and Bad Bunny’s typical “El Ojo” hit at the heel.
Nike BOOK 1 “Mirage”
Release Date: February 17
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Devin Booker’s first signature shoe is finally touching down on shelves globally after months of teasers and new colorways surfacing. Kicking things off with a “Mirage” presentation of the sneaker, various gray hues combine with Booker’s logo at the tongue in an orange shade that is fitting for the Phoenix Suns guard. No matter if you’re looking to light up the court like Booker, or hit the streets with his subtle swagger, the BOOK 1 has you covered.
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