WDHANFTSY: Vans x A Tribe Called Quest

Vans Malaysia recently released one of their latest collaborations with A Tribe Called Quest. Bryan (IG: @bryanbotakchin) was Called to be on a Quest to drop some facts about this collection for the Tribe, namely the fans of WDHANFTSY.

Also, we are announcing the winner of the ANTA LA Runner in this video! We will ANTA the shoes to the winner, so winner please do contact us to claim your prize. Thank you all for participating!

Sean Wotherspoon’s Air Max 97/1: Is It Worth It?

Author: Nabil

By now, you will have heard somewhat of a hybrid Air Max design covered with corduroy, coloured in pastel shades, circulating its way around the internet and giving everyone who has a little bit of knowledge about sneakers a huge orgasm over it.

Sean Wotherspoon’s Air Max 97/1 has taken the world by storm when it was released a week back, with online raffles from every sneaker shop being overloaded and massive crowds gathering for the physical ones. It’s probably Nike’s worst kept secret to date – having had a private launch in the US back in November at Wotherspoon’s own store, in Richmond and Los Angeles (of which only a 1000 pairs were sold), the shoe started getting traction as more people were wowed by its unconventional pairing (Air Max 97 upper combined with the Air Max 1 sole) and even more unconventional choice of materials. The shoe then, is a homage to 1980s culture, specifically the vintage hats that Nike was selling at the time.

 

Obviously, one of the main highlights of the shoe is the material: Corduroy. Reason for this is that corduroy is much like jeans, it gets better with age. The material fades beautifully over time, and with it, adds more and more character to the shoe with every blemish and scratch present on it.


Why mere mortals like you and I are never ever going to get it at retail price, so we ask: Is the resell price a justifiable dent to our wallets?

Reception of the silhouette was particularly massive here in Malaysia, following raffles from the likes of Hundred%, Sole What, JD Sports and on Nike’s online store, collecting over thousands of entries but only a handful of winners, much to the chagrin of everyone else. The market rate for a pair of these throwbacks go for around RM 2000 average, a pricey step up from the RM 629 retail price, but then again, not many shoes are like the Air Max 97/1.

Nike’s own attempt at mixing and matching different air soles to different air silhouettes have honestly been a tad bit weird (see Vapormax 97 and Plus Vapormax), making these pair probably the only successful hybrid pull off of its kind. It also doesn’t help that the total stock that came to our shores was rumoured to be in the low hundreds combined, thus explaining the price hike. Hundred% reportedly only stocked about 30 odd pairs and sectioned off some for plugs, decreasing the chances further of securing one of these beauties.    
Despite the reasons, it is worth the dent, because what’s there not to like? There’s literally no other shoe that looks like it, made with materials that’s almost exclusively popular in the 80s, and is easily identifiable from miles away. It’s probably Nike’s greatest fan-submitted design yet, and the hype surrounding it speaks for itself.



“Yusuf Taiyoob”, We Finally Found Out The Voices Behind The Ad

The month of Ramadhan is coming soon, and you know what that means. Yes, that means we’ll be listening to plenty of commercials related to Ramadhan and Syawal on the radio, television and social media but the best of all, the iconic signature whispers of Yusuf Taiyoob will be ringing everywhere. We are unsure if you are all as curious as we are, but here are the voices behind the famous Yusuf Taiyoob advertisements.

Enjoy date-ing during Ramadhan!

Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG “Shadow” Releasing This Weekend!

Author: Nabil

Probably one of the most anticipated Jordan archives releases this year, the Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG “Shadow” is set to make a comeback on April 14th after its initial re-release in 2013.

A week before the release date, Nike has given us a close-up look at the shoe, detailing at the model’s generous use of tumbled leather upper, coloured in stealthy black and dark grey tones, Wings logo on the heel and Nike Air tab to complete the look.

The colourway is one of the more hotly anticipated ones because of the attached history behind it, where the G.O.A.T himself laced these up during a charity all-star game during the summer of 1985, and proceeded to score 37 points against veterans of the game, cementing the colour’s legendary status, even till now.

The AJ1 “Shadow” will drop on the 14th of April, in select Nike retailers and Hoopstation outlets for a price of approximately RM 620. Hoopstation has already run its customer appreciation contest whereby the first 30 people who participated are able to reserve a pair of these but expect a general release to happen on the day itself. These, Game Royals, or Breds?



The Hoarder Series | Izam Shariman of Under The Palms MY

We have kept you guys waiting long enough. This episode features Izam Shariman (IG: @izamshariman), the founder of Under The Palms Malaysia (IG: @underthepalmsmy) which has a Vans-focused collection where some can only dream of. Find out why he started Under The Palms Malaysia, what’s his favourite pair of Vans and what he has to say about the hype around Vans these days.

Enjoy the video, Waffleheads!

Where To Cop The Yeezy 500 “Blush”

Author: Nabil

First seen at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles back in February 16 and 17, the Yeezy 500 “Blush” was only available for limited release on Adidas’ Confirmed App, but now, fans of the dad shoe runner hybrid may well get a chance to cop a pair without having to shell out resell prices.

Known as the Desert Rat 500, the tan coloured shoe combines premium cow leather, suede and mesh with nubuck detailing to make the upper, and is equipped with adiPRENE+ cushioning absorb impact while a rubber sole provides traction.

What’s the damage? A pair of these goes for about RM950 and releases on this weekend on the 14th of April at the Adidas Originals lot in Suria KLCC. This will be a first-come-first-serve basis with regular queues and via Waiting Room Launch for online purchase. Just be sure not to repeat the NMD Hu Holi incident and break out into a fight for a pair of these. Or, if you’re looking for something similar with a much cheaper price tag, why not look up the ANTA LA Runner reviewed by our resident botak monk, Bryan.

7 Things That Trigger Sneakerheads

As sneakerheads, we have many pet peeves that may trigger or frustrate us whenever we come across certain situations. Here’s a list of situations that sneakerheads may relate to:

Rain Dance

You look out your window, trying to predict the weather and the weather looks promising enough to lace up into one of your treasured sneakers. The next thing you know, whether you’re in a mall or just walking aimlessly around the city, the rain starts pouring down like it never has before in ages. We know some sneakerhead would walk out prepared by spraying their grails with Crep Protect or any shoe water-repellent product because it is always better safe than sorry. This is probably one of the more heartbreaking situations for any sneakerhead wearing their sneakers especially for bright colored sneakers with suede, nubuck, any form of knit and more.

Shoe Stepper

It is a usual tradition for Malaysians to hang out with friends and family during our free time and sometimes we pick an occasion to wear our new pairs or grails to flex in front of our peers. However, when we move in a big group, the stakes are high as our peers, family members, or strangers from the location are highly likely to cross paths with your sneakers. We keep a good distance from the people around us to prevent our shoes from getting stepped but when someone does, its as if the sneaker gods are all against you. We can only hope that we do not stumble across the ones who find joy in stepping people’s sneakers, and if you do, good luck.

Mismatch Shoes

Some may relate, some may not. We are not talking about the mismatch of officially released pairs such as pairs with the ‘What The’ concept, Air Jordan 1 ‘Top 3’ or the Asics Gel Lyte III ‘Homage’ but we are talking about the sneakerheads walking the streets with two different released pairs such as a pair of Yeezy V2 ‘Breds’ on their left foot and a pair of Zebra’s on their right. Some sneakerheads find these people as ‘try-hards’, wannabes or just sneakerheads with lack of attention but some may beg to differ. We are not saying it is wrong, but we may all agree to a certain extent to the claims made by others towards these sneakerheads who love to mismatch their shoes.

Over-Flexing (Bragging)

We all tend to get ahead of ourselves whenever we cop our grails, a pair we’ve been searching for a long time, or a pair we’re just thirsty for. With social media, we start to announce to the world that we’ve obtained our gem and that is definitely an innocent gesture but when we start over-announcing, that’s when it gets annoying. The sneakerheads who take too much pride in their pairs and starts rubbing into other people’s face about their latest purchase or what they have is not okay. It does not matter if you have a pair of Yeezys (Nike or Adidas), Air Jordans (even Satins) or any (kindly insert any hype sneaker), but these shoes are all easily obtained and in the end, it all goes down to who has and is willing to drop stacks of cash to buy them. Sneakers are easily accessible these days unless they are Player Exclusives (PE) so, take down a notch your ego for your collection unless you have a rare sneaker that requires real connections (not your managers from local sneaker stores) then maybe we’ll pardon a part of your excessive bragging.

‘Fake Educator’

We know there are some of you who love legit checking people’s sneakers whenever you’re outside or just socializing in sneaker groups on Facebook. If there’s something we may all agree as sneakerheads, its when someone tries to expose you wearing fakes when you clearly know it’s not. An example of a situation would be, you’re wearing a pair of Air Jordan 1 Off-White and someone comes up to you saying, ‘Bro, you’re wearing fakes’, and when you ask what made them think so, they reply saying that the Red color on the panels are not as what it seems. As much as you would like to flex your sneaker knowledge on someone, it is best to get your facts right before trying to shame someone because if you called it wrong, the only fool is you.

‘Do It For The Gram’ Sneakerheads

Get on Instagram and you’ll find sneakerheads flexing their ‘heat’ but if there’s one thing that most sneakerheads do not respect is when sneakerheads buy sneakers just to flex for the Gram (consistently). We definitely have seen sneaker sale posts that states, ‘only worn for 10 minutes for photoshoot’. These sneakerheads literally buy a pair of shoe for a large amount of money, takes a photo of it, uploads it on Instagram, and the next thing you know, its already for sale. Let’s not get carried away thinking we will get away with it when someone starts asking about those shoes you sold. It is best not to expose yourself showing you are just in it for the attention, but once found guilty, kindly swallow the bitter pill.

Ignorant Sneakerheads

If there is one thing that sneaker collectors can’t stand, its sneakerheads that do not have any knowledge or tries to pretend like they know their sneakers. It does not matter if you’re an OG, a newbie or a Hypebeast, but if you lack knowledge and you try to flex your sneakers, best be ready to get roasted. Recently, we observe how the local sneaker scene started becoming a fan of Air Max especially the Sean Wotherspoon Air Max 97/1 where most do not even know the origin of how the sneaker came about and who is Sean Wotherspoon himself. However, we do not blame those who like any shoes as it is, provided that you’re a commoner and do not proclaim yourselves as a sneaker enthusiast. Opinions may differ among individuals regarding this matter but as they all say, knowledge is power and nobody likes a ‘know it all’.

The Flyroam Go: Timberland’s First Foray Into Street Shoes

Author: Nabil

2018 is a bold year for Timberland, as the brand preps itself to dive into a completely new scene, while also still retaining what the brand is best known for its unprecedented built quality to weather the outdoors with ease while keeping the signature ruggedness. As trends continuously change, Timberland’s focus has shifted towards a more street driven directive, as exemplified by the release of models such as the FlyRoam Go.

The shoe is not constructed with Timberland’s usual go-to materials of waterproof full grain nubuck leather, steel lug nuts and thick gum soles, but instead uses lightweight knit materials, woven to incorporate a sock-like fit and in a much, much more lean design compared to the brand’s standard boots and shoes.

Highlights include Timberland’s new Aerocore energy system, a lightweight sole design enabling the wearer a lighter and more responsive run, thanks to high-rebound cushioning pushing you with every step. Hot-melt overlays in high-abrasion areas and full rubber outsoles mean that traction loss is never an issue, wherever you step.

The FlyRoam Go retails for RM 699 at all Timberland outlets, a bit of a steep price considering other alternatives from the likes of Adidas, Puma, even Nike can net you the same level of comfort for slightly cheaper, but then again, you’ll be paying for Timberland levels of quality, that can tackle both urban and outdoor environments with no problems whatsoever. So what’s say you, readers? Adding these to your rotation, or nah?

 


 

Election Pick Up Lines

Malaysia’s 14th election is just around the corner, just a heads up the confirm date of the poll is set on 9th of May to cast in your votes. Meanwhile, a thread has been circulating around Facebook by Eday Bahrome, creating a bunch of undi pick up lines following up on the election. Enjoy these punny pick up lines!

Here is Masses’s own pun:

 



The Borak-Borak Session: Bono Stellar

Nawar Shukriah Ali, aka Bono Stellar (IG:@nawwarshukriahali) is not just an artist. Meet the Jane of all trades, who is also an art director for music videos, fashion campaigns, retail branding and even dabble into interior design. Bono invited us into her studio to borak-borak on breaking the rules of art by experimenting with her own dynamic signature style – Bonoism.