Jordan Brand introduces their brand new lifestyle silhouette, the Jordan First Class. Equipped with a lightweight textile upper and genuine nubuck overlays, similar to Jordan Eclipse and Jordan Fly ’89. This new silhouette has added protection and on-court capabilities. All three come with a marbled pattern on its tongue atop a White rubber sole. The three upcoming colorways are in Grey, Black and Olive.
The Jordan First Class are available now at JD Sports retailers.
20 years after Nike introduced “Tuned Air,” the signature upper of the Air Max Plus is combined with the latest Air cushioning systems to create “Retuned Air.” The Air Max Plus was a streetwear hit in 1998. The Air VaporMax Plus is a mixed of the Air Max Plus and VaporMax. The sneaker features a neoprene upper with TPU overlays that follows the signature style of the Air Max Plus, the shoe is detailed with a VaporMax sole, Air Vapor Max Plus branding on the tongues and “VM” logo on the heel.
The Air VaporMax Plus is now available at JD Sports retailers.
We recently got to ‘borak-borak’ with Sherwan Rozan to find out how he got into the art industry, what his art concept is about, and what are his future plans for his art career. Check out his Instagram profile for more of his abstract art.
It is safe to say that Jordan brand is what it is today because of the man himself, Michael Jordan due to his excellent performance during his term in NBA. After fifteen years, Jordan brand finally brings backs the Air Jordan 18 in the Sport Royal colorway as a rare nod to Michael Jordan’s days playing with the Washington Wizards back then. This colorway is an OG colorway which features mostly a white leather upper with Sport Royal applied to the inner lining, midsoles, outsoles and Jordan branding around the heel section. Besides the metallic silver detailing used on the Jumpman logo and on the ’23’, we notice the unique part of the shoe which is the shroud with a button at the top of the tongue to cover the laces.
This pair will be available on Nike by 25th of January, retailing for RM889. If you are looking for your Chinese New Year footwear, you can check out the Air Jordan 6 ‘CNY’ which Jordan brand previously released.
If there’s one dream shoe for runners, it should be a shoe made for everything from more cushioning for every stride, high energy return for higher endurance throughout the run, to feel light underfoot and to withstand the wear and tear of impact and elements after every run. Nike listened and gathered their innovators, chemist, engineers and designers to deliver the solution in the form of a foam, the Nike React.
Today, Nike reveals the first running shoe that features proprietary foam in February onwards and here’s what you need to know about it. The forefoot, toe and arch was specifically sculpted to the one-piece Nike Flyknit bootie (which takes cues from the Nike Flyknit Racer) which were precision-engineered for support flexibility and breathability in all areas where runners needed them to be.
In comparison, the tooling is relatively pronounced and exaggerated as the Nike React foam is significantly softer than the usual EVA-based foams, where it smooths bumps on the road more effectively. The midsole needed to be taller to avoid “bottoming-out” and wider to provide runners a more supportive base. Designers extended the midsole beyond the perimeter of its upper around the heel section to provide more cushioning and stability for runners.
Computational design that enables rapid data-driven ideation was used to create the midsole, which is one piece of Nike React foam (with no carrier, cement or glue). This method allowed for engineering the surface of the midsole to deliver cushioning and support at specific spots required during a run, eliminating materials wherever unnecessary to minimize weight to the minimum. The visually complex pattern vary in depth, where deeper parts indicate areas with more cushioning and shallower portions to produce more firmness. As the upper sits on one piece of foam, the outsole is essentially same as the midsole but with a segment of rubber under the forefoot and heel for higher traction and enhanced durability of the shoe.
The Nike Epic React Flyknit will be available on February 22 on Nike and selected retailers only.
The godfather of urban vinyl toys, Hong Kong based artist Michael Lau, gets on board with PUMA to create a sneaker to honour the Suede’s 50th anniversary. Known for his collectable designer toy figures and freehand-style illustrations, Lau takes his bold and brilliant technique to the Suede in a collaboration #ForAllTime.
The PUMA x Michael Lau “SAMPLE SUEDE” is inspired by the sample sneakers that brands produce as a model for production or final testing. Lau gives the iconic silhouette a prototypical feel by using work-in-progress details such as the zig-zag finishing of the fabric sample along the Formstripe, lacing and tongue. Detailing of “50 ample Suede Not For You Only For Me” is embossed on the heel of the shoe. The Chinese character for “sample” is designed on a sample swatch for the tongue and sockliner. An ‘L’ is on the heel tab of the left kick, an ‘R’ on the right. The right shoe features lighter grays, the left darker. It’s a mix-matched magnum opus on the white thick laces and textured sole frame. The insole is taken from the form that the factory fills out when identifying a sample – with the style name, article number, colourway code and factory code.
Lau answered some questions on his first PUMA collaboration:
ML: This is my first time working with PUMA. I am pretty excited as I was able to work on such an iconic model such as the Suede, and that PUMA approved my idea of turning it into a ‘sample’ version. As for the “Worth Cat” figurine, it is selling at SGD 63 in Singapore (Limited Edt) and there are total of 7,000 pieces only in the world and its produced from Michael Lau himself.
ML: “My connection to the PUMA Suede is that I am from that generation. It is celebrating its 50th anniversary and that means we are all around the same age. Our generation really has seen the sneaker culture develop. From the 70s, 80s, 90s, all the way into the 2000s. It’s classic like me now. It was right there from 3 when I was young, and was prevalent in the early formation of youth and street culture, and is still around. I’d say that makes the Suede pretty classic.”
ML: “For PUMA’s 50th anniversary, I wanted to still keep the theme of the “Sample” Suede that was released in November, but at the same time have something that reflects the 50th anniversary. The shades of grey are like looking and flipping through old black-and-white photographs. This also gives the sneakers a nostalgic feeling. We’ve kept a lot of the classic features intact along with the “Sample” Leather’s details like the shape, logos, swatch tags, but instead of the “Sample” Leather version of the tag, we used a special 50th anniversary branded one.” Just like the release of the “Sample” Suede, this will also come with a figure. Each figure matches one of 7 shades found on the sneaker, so there are 7 different figures with different facial expressions. And with the figures, it’s just great that I am able to incorporate a figure with my collaborations, including these sneakers. I wanted to take attributes from the sneaker and put them into the figure as much as possible to compliment the sneakers for a complete package. This name of the figure is “The Worth Cat.” It’s based on a sample swatches shape, but also has parts from a puma. The best part is, if you look at the nose, paws and tail, you will see that all details are from the PUMA logo.
“A lot of the times when I come up with a sneaker design, it might not be for everyone. I rather think of them as creations that are for collecting. I guess that’s because I approach it like artwork.”
The PUMA x Michael Lau “SAMPLE SUEDE” drops January 20th, at Crossover Concept Store and SoleWhat. Retailing at RM510.
Malaysia’s very own streetwear store, Crossover had the honor to team up with Reebok once again and this time they worked on the Workout Plus silhouette for their latest collaboration dubbed ‘Locked Out’.
The Workout Plus model is one of the authentic models within the Reebok Classic family, and to commemorate 30 years of the Workout Plus silhouette, Reebok has aligned with allies worldwide to come out with a series of classic range in afresh looks. A movie about finding hope amidst ruined innocence, Starred Up by David Mackenzie inspired the Reebok Work Out using one of the characters in the movie, Eric Love. For this upcoming collaboration, Reebok and Crossover took the original model and gave it the veggie tan leather treatment for a tougher outlook where the veggie tan leather tanning process alters the structure of the skin, making the pair more durable and resilient. An interesting fact in regards to the veggie tan leather is that it absorbs plant-based substances which further darkens the tone of the leather, giving the silhouette a rough yet natural aesthetic. A new detail added to the silhouette is a Velcro strap which is supposed to impose more practicality and give the shoe a more all-together look. To complete the look, Crossover’s motto ‘Demand The Impossible’ is embedded behind both straps as a signature to the masterpiece.
The Crossover x Reebok Workout Plus ‘Locked Out’ will be exclusively available in February, at all Crossover stores and online, retailing at RM569.
Ever since Nike released their newest silhouette dubbed the Nike Air Vapormax, we have seen various iterations of the silhouette throughout the year. Nike is releasing the Nike Vapormax Moc in three different colorways namely Cool Grey, Dark Stucco and Midnight Fog where some of these colorways were previously released only in women sizes.
We may observe a neutral grey tone color blocking for the Cool Grey colorway accompanied by a laceless iteration for easier slip-on access, sitting atop the translucent bubble sole while the Dark Stucco colorway features different shades of green on the Flyknit upper, an elastic strap with accents of clay green Swooshes on both sides accompanied by a translucent Vapormax sole unit. Lastly, the Vapormax Moc in Midnight Fog colorway returns in a stealthy color scheme with greyish-green accents on the swoosh of the strap and Nike branding on the tongues, complemented by a blacked out Vapormax sole unit.
The Vapormax silhouette definitely has placed its mark on the global sneaker scene and we expect Nike to release more colorways or variations of the silhouette in the future. These colorways will be available on Nike from 25th January onwards, retailing at RM749.
The stories of both Royal Selangor and Pestle & Mortar Clothing share similar traits of passion, grit, and entrepreneurship. With more than a century apart, both brands come together in the same beliefs and the entrepreneurial spirit to have the Limited Edition collection of merchandise called The RS X PMC collection. We had a chance to sit down for a short conversation with the CEO of both companies, Hugh from PMC and Yoon Li from Royal Selangor. Introducing the background story for this limited edition capsule consist of four garments; plain t-shirt, worker shirt, tote bag, and a cap.
Hugh : The main highlight to me is actually to be able to work with Royal Selangor. Both of our brands are very different, but there are definitely similarities as well. Firstly, both our brands are homegrown [in Malaysia], and the values we stand for as a company in terms of entrepreneurship, culture and heritage – which, of course, Royal Selangor has been a pioneer in for over a hundred years- is very similar. Although PMC is a fairly young company, but we definitely have a cultural heritage in our arsenal.
Yoon Li: For me, I think the main highlight is the chance to work with a young and energetic company. It’s not just Royal Selangor’s effort alone in this collaboration, we have an entire team made up of a mix of the two companies. We have the design studio team, product development team, the marketing team…just to mention a few. We all worked hard for a successful project, but we do not aim for just success in sales, but also a successful collaboration between RS and PMC. This experience of working together allowed us a chance to learn from each other and also to get new ideas to reach out to younger consumer and crowds.
Hugh: When we first started off the project, I was granted the access to have a glimpse of the archive library. To me, that was an amazing opportunity. We’re talking about almost a hundred years of imagery, logos, iconic typography and the likes. Everyone knows RS now, but not everyone knows RS heritage. When it came to the logos and graphics that we were inspired by, we thought of an idea to start work off, based on the different pictures and graphics. It’s educational, in a way, because clothing is a conversation piece. People would say, “Hey, what’s that clothing about?” and it tells a story. I think both brands are storytellers, and through this collaboration, we’re telling a tale through clothing.
Yoon Li: I can’t say for sure. I don’t think it’s just clothing or fashion, to me, the collaboration is more of a cultural project. Hugh’s company is a younger one than RS, but the core values that both our companies uphold are very similar so that’s a good place to start off. It’s more of an urban culture that I found interesting with PMC. They have a way of connecting with the youth – or rather, urban Malaysia today, in places like KL, Penang, Johor and more. It’s interesting to see the strong following of PMC in today’s urban audiences even though there isn’t what we call traditional advertising that the older generation is used to. Even my kids know about PMC It’s an interesting connection for RS to be able to understand the psyche of this.
Yoon Li: I would look at this differently, as compared to Marvel, DC and Starwars. Those collaborations are more to addressing a fanbase. If you look back 20 years ago, we did a collection with Lord Of The Rings too. Lord Of The Rings was a huge success because we managed to tap into a fanbase, which has many collectors of limited edition figurines, franchises and such. With PMC it’s slightly different, the audience is more urban-based. They are intrigued by the brand, and would perhaps wonder why our two companies are working together. So that’s an interesting project with PMC.
Yoon Li: We have licencing collaborations and partnerships with major brands and franchises, as well as collaborations with museums as well. In terms of licencing collaborations, it’s pretty straightforward, because we know who the market is, and we know that there are collectors out there. But for museums, they are more of an inspiration for our studio designs to work on slightly different angles, be it historical or contemporary. There’s always that big institution which we can tap on, such as National Palace Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Museum, which we just signed up with – we’re launching a Celtic collection with them in the summer – But as for PMC, it’s a collaboration where we go in with the brand and a dialogue and conversation happens that results in a collaborative creation. This is different as opposed to taking in the inspirational elements and producing a product.
Hugh: This partnership is 6 months in the making, it’s not over a short period of time. It’s been a period of thinking about ideas, looking at samples and prototypes and other aspects of production as well.
Check out the full lookbook here. Royal Selangor & Pestle & Mortar Clothing Capsule Collection is made available from the 19th of January 2018 at the Royal Selangor Flagship store in Pavillion, Kuala Lumpur and Pestle & Mortar’s flagship store in Bangsar.
Producer, Songwriter and Rapper Kidd Santhe back once again with his latest single ‘Rindu’. The song is a whole rounded soulful vibe with contemporary R&B and club-banging drops with a tinge of pop. Kidd said the song was inspired by a special someone who he thought of in a moment of weakness. DJ Biggie, who is the founder and director of Monster Sound, turned another local artist song titled ‘Alive’ by Alextbh as a part of this catchy song.
Listen to Rindu on Spotify.
