The Johnson Low, by The Hundreds, is a simple and clean shoe that’s offered in several canvas models, but this one in particular caught my eye. It’s got a purple heel and grey toe. Normally purple is a no-no for me but for some reason this work pretty well. There’s not really anything else special to mention here, but you got metal eyelets and vulcanized sole. More pics (as well as other colorways) after the jump…
Available at Wish.
The NBA playoffs are here, and despite the fact that my beloved New Jersey Nets just barely made the cut, I have that awesome NBA on NBC John Tesh song stuck in my head that reminds me of this magical time in the spring. I never grew up following March Madness, but instead spent hours glued to the set, watching Jordan kill the Knicks, or Reggie Miller kill the Knicks. Somehow all my memories involve the Knicks losing.
Anyway, I thought now was an appropriate time to post on this interesting model. Kobe Bryant, probably the most controversial NBA player of the OO’s, made waves in the BBall shoe world by rocking lower and lower cut sneakers on the court. For decades, the de facto type of shoe to ball in was a high top… anything less and you were asking for an ankle injury. But for some reason, as soon as Kobe Bryant started wearing mid and eventually lows, it seems to be perfectly okay. I’m not aware of any ankle injuries sustained by him.
I have to say that the Zoom Kobe V is a pretty damn cool shoe, even if its namesake is the biggest douche in the league and perhaps a perpetrator of sexual assault. As I mentioned before, it is the lowest cut basketball shoe out today, as well as the lightest. This thing has more technology in it than a space shuttle (which explains the price), but it doesn’t seem to have too many bells and whistles, like all the airbags and shit. It’s also available in a bunch of cool colors, and yes, purple and gold for all you Lakers fans out there. Also, there are a lot of different colorways being worn by Kobe and other players lately, and you can even make your own at Nike ID!
Best of all, of course I wouldn’t be posting this if this shoe were not vegetarian or vegan. After some research, I found that the upper is entirely synthetic (click this link and search for ‘synthetic’). Just peep the larger pics – ain’t nothin natural about those materials. Also, as I have mentioned in previous posts, Nike does not use animals in their glues and cements. Therefore, we should have a vegan shoe. I am very cautious to say this about a basketball shoe named after Kobe Bryant, something is just weird about that, but the evidence is there. I will email Nike to verify this and post an update.
There has been a shitload written on the marvels of this shoe. If you’re interested, read this great Sole Collector article. Also, check out some of the new colorways being worn by the man himself as well as other pros, such as the Kid Hollywood and Photo Blue, if you’re that big of a nerd.
Available at Nike Store. If you want it customized check out Nike ID.
Some more pics after the jump!
Here are some fresh new spring shoes, to the extent that canvas lows are fresh anymore. I know it seems like everything I post is a variation on the Vans Authentic, but hey, they are popular for a reason. These Bobbie Burns Old School takes a shot at that ubiquitous shoe with its very slim silhouette and bright colors, but with a narrowed down sole. Of four models, three rock a tri-color look, while one is just white and green. More pics after the jump…
These are available at Quartershop (UK).
Sorry kids, these aren’t coming out until fall or winter. That’s too bad because these would have been nice for summer. Damn you Vans. This potential release has been dubbed the “Neon” pack, aptly named for the color scheme. The pack features the Era Authentic and Slip-On, all done up in three different fluorescents – orange, green, and pink. Thankfully they also have contrasting contrasting black heel (Slip-On) and laces, so it doesn’t hurt your eyes too much. Stop drooling, we’re gonna have to have to wait.
Sup y’all. So after my Etnies post, my man Mike hit me up with a very similar blog post by Emerica outlining their vegan shoes new for Spring 2010, and I thought I’d share them with you here. Looks like a very fine selection of skate shoes, from the low low Spanky to the more padded green Hsu shoe . There should be something here for everyone, and I hope you like them. Click down for more pics!
B. Herman 2 (pictured above) available at Zappos
Some of you may know of the Macbeth shoe company, but for those of you who don’t, a little intro. It was founded in 2002 by a couple of guys in music, Tom Delonge and Jon Humphrey. Tom fronted such acts as Blink 182 and Box Car Racer. Jon was a concert promoter and also helped found some notable skateboard shoe brands such as Adio and Hawk Shoes (bleh). They decided to start a footwear company inspired by the SoCal and musician lifestyle. Fortunately for us, they were also involved in the vegan community. Inspired by straightedge and some of their band friends such as Bane, Alkaline Trio, H2O and Sick of it All, they created a whole line of animal-free shoes. Their first shoe, the Eliot, was vegan! They even got an award in 2007 by Peta for Best Vegan Skate Shoe. If you don’t know now you know.
Now I’d like to move to the actual shoe. This is one of the few shoes out of their vegan line which I think is legitimately dope. It is a collaboration between Macbeth and Andrew McMahon (of the bands Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate), and features the band’s artwork stitched on the heel and design on the footbed. I’m feeling the low profile and the light blue contrasts. More pics after the jump…
Available at Zappos.
The E-Street are from the Vans Surf line (for the ladees). As you can see, they are all canvas (possibly hemp?) and are available (for now) in brown and black with white sole. They are very low cut and much like the Authentic, but even more pared down. Perfect for the beach or plain ol’ maxin’ and relaxin.
Available at Bows and Arrows.
Sorry for the non-shoe-related post, but Daiya has been the talk of the town in the veganosphere lately, and now it is finally available in convenient retail packages! Previously you could only buy it in 30lb bulk bags (or if you were lucky, your local Whole Foods divied those up into 16oz containers). This stuff is soo good. So far I’ve made vegan quesadillas, french onion soup, pizza, calzones, and lasagna with it. It really is the first vegan cheese without a gross aftertaste, and that actually melts easily. If I could get shoes made out of daiya, I’d wear ‘em.
New Assault pack for spring 2010, as part of the Supra NS (non-skate) range of shoes. Supra thinned out the sole, simplified the upper, and made the shoe as lightweight as possible. Three of them are vegan, animal-friendly materials, including charcoal and white canvas, and navy gingham. Look out for the evil one in black, it’s full grain leather. More pics after the jump.
All colorways are available (limited) at Factory 413.
Here are some hi-tops for you emfole! Perfect for the warm weather, seersucker seems to be a more common fabric used these days. As that commercial goes, “I’m luvin it!” (I hate you McDonald’s). This Creative Recreation Cesario XVI (men’s) is being rolled out as part of their Spring 2010 line “Essentials” and sports a slimmed down upper and cleaner silhouette. The seersucker stripes on these are very fine, so at times you can’t even tell, adding overall to a sophisticated feel. Plus it has a little strappy thing at the bottom giving it a little different look. A white gum sole with blue stripe finish out the look. More pics after the jump.
