Jordan Brand has always embodied the spirit of the holiday season, giving us gifts of great looking shoes that help you to break necks walking around in the city and to get you the perfect compliment at parties to put you in a jolly mood. The last few years, however; JB has been giving us signals that the only thing they seem to care about is money and commercialism – releasing hack versions of some of our most beloved sneaks under the “fusion” moniker. Air Force Jordan Fusion shoes try to blend the features we love about shoes like Air Jordan IV and Air Jordan XII with Nike Air Force I’s to create abominations like AJ 4 Fusion and the AJ 12 Fusion among many others. This line should be called Air Jordan confusion because that is clearly what has been going on around the design team table.
The latest offering puts the beautiful Air Jordan VIII Aqua on the cutting board to butcher them and insult us with the Air Jordan Fusion 8 Aqua. In the past when you heard “Aquas” in a shoe conversation it was clear that those people were talking about fine specimens. Now you have to be specific to avoid confusing the term with the fusion version. These shoes are enough to make any true player in the shoe game want to wretch. You won’t find these shoes in your favourite boutique or even at your favourite exclusive online retailer. The best place to pick these up will probably be at your local Foot Locker, Champs or (if I had my way) in a dumpster somewhere.
At "e n t e r s p a c e..." we are usually very positive about kicks we choose to write about. “Make sure you pick these up…”, “These are must-cops…”, etc. but this time I feel it is our duty as spacemen to empower you to sit on your hands and avoid picking these up no matter how cheap they are available for.
Welcome to this week's installment of Kickstart Mondays, this week we'll be reviewing one of the many iconic sneakers MJ wore while winning his 6 NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. This week, we'll be focusing on the Air Jordan XII.It is only appropriate for us to discuss the sneaker that started it all, you may be asking yourself what does he mean started it all? The Air Jordan XII was first worn during the 1996-1997 season during the Bulls second NBA title in their second set of three titles.
For those who have a deeper understanding of the brand will know that the Air Jordan XII was the first Air Jordan to be released under Jordan Brand, a sub division of Nike. During 1997, Nike had decided to branch out and market the Jordan line as a separate subsidiary of the company and was the first Air Jordan to not contain the Nike Air/Swoosh anywhere on the shoe. Tinker's original dream to minimize the presence of Nike and the Swoosh was finally realized in this release. The Air Jordan XII was inspired by two different things; the rising sun from Japan and a female's high heel shoe. Both inspirations are evident in the design and subtle accents that can be seen throughout the shoe. What made this shoe memorable was not the design or look of the shoe but rather what MJ did with them on during the playoffs. Titled the "Flu Game", MJ wore the black and varisty red colourway during the playoffs where he put up 36 points to help win the game while suffering the flu. MJ's dedication to the game and his team was so inspirational that he had to be helped off the court by Scottie Pippen because he was so weak. MJ you're the man!
The Air Jordan XII is considered a fan favourite on and off the court. The XII is one of the most comfortable sneakers in the Jordan line and provides incredible ankle support. With the recent retro craze and releases JB has put out for Q4 of 2009 we have been fortunate to see several retros as well as new colourways of this sneaker. This year JB released a special version of the Black/Varsity-Red called the Flu Games. This pair which features the same colour schematic as the original contains a few subtle differences from the original and retros. Say what you will about the recent retros, none can deny the beauty and comfort of this shoe.
If you slept on any of the releases such as the Nubucks, Rising Suns, Flu Games or White/Varsity-Red versions head over to Finishline to cop your pair now. Trust me, you do not want to sleep on these!
If you know me personally then you'll know I'm into BAPE and have been for some time now. Most people aren't feeling BAPE and that's cool cause you're entitled to your own opinion but I'm a BAPE man and will continue to support the brand.
With the recent success from their Pirate Shops Pop-Up shops across the world, BAPE will be opening up their doors stateside with a Pop-up shop in L.A. during the holiday season (Dec 26-29th)...
maxcak will be in L.A. @ that time so if you're in the city and heading to the Pop-Up shop (located @ BAPE's L.A. store) come over and say what's up!
I'll be the dude rocking the 1LoveT.O. shirt in Cali, rep'n TDot...
the company with 3-stripes has been putting out some pretty kicks as of late, including the Star Wars collabo and the Toronto Consortium series. They recently dropped the Highrise which are a hi-top sneaker with an all-white sole. The dual-strap mechanism definitely sets these apart from most hi-top, strap kicks as does the four (White, Black, Red & Gray) clean colourways. Word has it these will drop in January 2010, but if you know anyone in the UK, France, the Netherland and of course Germany, they are available at shop.adidas.com
Based on the above picture, do we really need to go into detail about these? Definitely the most anticipated drop for 2010, the Air Jordan VI Black/Varsity Red will be hitting your local sneaker shop on January 23, 2010. A lot of the talk on the interwebs have been going on about the differences between the 2010 drop and the OG versions, notably the material and colour differences. If you can live with red instead of infrared, a different (cheaper?) type of suede and a black air bubble, then these are a definite cop. Thankfully JB left the clear soles instead of the white that was pictured on the early version.
Will you be lining up for these? Nah, cuz we all pre-ordered at Foot Locker.
I don't know about you but what were you thinking JB? I'm all about finding new and innovative ways to market your products or new colourways but seriously?
A "Sneakerhead" can be defined as an individual who loves sneakers. This is someone who purchases large quantities of sneakers and will do everything in their ability to get a single pair of sneaker no matter what (i.e. campouts). These are the same people who will always look at what sneakers another person is wearing first before they look at the person themselves. This is someone who knows all the sneaker shops in their own city and sneaker shops in other cities! This is also someone who can tell you the exact model of at least five sneakers people are wearing in the mall. Is this someone YOU?
If you've been following the "e n t e r s p a c e..." blog you already know that sneakers are the bread and butter of our blog. The enterspace crew (aka the Spacemen) all share a common affinity for sneakers; maxcak loves J's, Fatz loves Air Maxes and FRZA loves Pumps.
Sneakers hold a special place in my heart because they help evoke memories and emotions from my childhood. If you've been following the Kickstart Monday entries you'll know that sneakers are more than sneakers to me. Through these inanimate objects, they allow me to go back to a time in my childhood. Some of the readers may think that's silly but don't we all treasure things that can evoke these feelings?
For the majority, sneakers are just another article of clothing. However, there are a few select individuals who think they're a bit more than that.
Leave us a comment and let us know what makes YOU a "Sneakerhead"?
Peep the 1LoveT.O. Pop-Up shop opening up tomorrow for a one day ONLY event.
Pop Up Shop/Night Market is located @ “Nyood” (1096 Queen St. West, 2nd Floor)
It's pretty hard to describe what 1LoveT.O. is, but to some, it's merely a website featuring things goin on in Toronto. However, if you've paid attention to the grass roots/underground movement this site has created you'll notice that its more than just a website but rather a lifestyle... I've had the pleasure of meeting one of the masterminds behind the site and I can truly say that 1LoveT.O. has mad love for T.O.
Cop a tee and show your love for the city that's the coldest...
Much thanks to Fez from What'sFresh for the heads up on another deal for the Jordanheads out there this holiday season.
VMV Inc. currently has the Air Jordan 6 Rings "Concords" on sale for 99.99 USD. Although many people have shown some hate towards the recent bombardment of Jordan fusions, no one can deny the colourway of these kicks. The AJ 6Rings feature a plethora of features from various Air Jordans, MJ wore while winning his 6 NBA titles.
Say what you will bout these kicks but we're still seeing some players rock these on the court this season.
Jordan Brand has always embodied the spirit of the holiday season, giving us gifts of great looking shoes that help you to break necks walking around in the city and to get you the perfect compliment at parties to put you in a jolly mood. The last few years, however; JB has been giving us signals that the only thing they seem to care about is money and commercialism – releasing hack versions of some of our most beloved sneaks under the “fusion” moniker. Air Force Jordan Fusion shoes try to blend the features we love about shoes like Air Jordan IV and Air Jordan XII with Nike Air Force I’s to create abominations like AJ 4 Fusion and the AJ 12 Fusion among many others. This line should be called Air Jordan confusion because that is clearly what has been going on around the design team table. 
