Shot & Edited by: David “DRO” Rosario (www.davidrosario.com)
Music by Madcon – Beggin’ (Instrumental)

This was a special event put together by the great people at Nike Sportswear, and the great people over at Shoe Gallery in Miami, Florida. Basically, Nike brought down the Jacket Nike ID machines and set up to Shoe Gallery for an entire weekend and let customers customize their own N98 track jackets. The opening night (which is where this video was taken) took place on Thursday January 28, 2010 and tons of locals celebrated with free food and drinks, along with their chance to iD their own track jackets. Press play for the quick recap of the night.

More info:
twitter.com/shoegallery

Amazing commercial and comes with the tag line:

“Everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you going to get up?”

www.vimeo.com/nikesportswear

The two photos on the top are courtesy of 33 Studio. And the third, not sure, but seriously, we think we speak for all guys when we say “wow”.

The classic Cool Grey/Neon Yellow Air Max 95’s return. While they’re set to hit stores next Saturday, PickYourShoes.com has them in stock right now for $149. Get em while they’re hot or wait a couple weeks to get them locally and everywhere else online.

The Miami Heat pull off a win against the Knicks this afternoon. They held mostly an average of a ten-point lead throughout most of the game and almost let it slip towards the end, but the Miami Heat still took home the win. And today also showed Dwyane Wade rockin’ the White/Red/Black Jordan I Alpha’s, along with Quentin Richardson who was wearing them as well. A nice change-up from the 16.5’s he’s been wearing lately. More photos below of during-the-game shots, as well as photos of Dwyane and the Knicks dancers giving away gifts to New York area kids before the game.

Our partner site, The305.com partnered with Miami based sneaker shop Shoe Gallery to present a video contest to give away a free pair of highly coveted Air Jordan XI “Space Jams” that took retail stores by storm this past Wednesday . There were numerous entries and while most of them showed heart, there was one entry that stood out and was so well put together, that it was almost instantly that they knew they received the winning entry. And funny enough, it was one of the last entries submitted.

The winner was Luc Alexandre (aka UnkleLuc) with the above video. We want to congratulate Luc for the effort and for putting together a great piece. You definitely have a great eye for video. Enjoy your Space Jams!

For anything sneaker related in Miami, one of your top destinations has GOT to be Shoe Gallery. Check them at Shoe Gallery 244 NE 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33132 and/or give them a call at (305) 371-2063

This past weekend on September 6th, marked the last stop on the Lil Wayne-headlined America’s Most Wanted Tour over at the Bank Atlantic Center in sunny Sunrise, Florida. And in the photo above you have Lil Wayne in his army-camaflouge attire while he’s doing a little “rockstar” move displaying his crispy white/gum Nike Air Force 1 Low Premium – Un Michael Lau (318775-111). These retail for a cool $135 and are available now online and at various local Nike retailers.

Release Dates is slated for February 10, 2009 on these – and you can believe that anticipation will build beyond control. The Spi’zike is pretty much overwhelmingly one of the best hybrid Jordan Brand sneakers ever created and you may or may not know, but it was designed by the man, the legend, Tinker Hatfield. Take a closer look at the release via the photo above and the photos below, courtesy of Japanese retailer Lowtex.

“This isn’t MTV Cribs, this is MTV Kicks” – DJ AM

DJ AM was definitely an avid sneakerhead with more than 600 pairs to his name. Its sad to see him go at such a young age during a time when he seem to have been in the prime of his life. Plus, with the horrific and amazing survival story that he and Travis Barker endured last September in plane crash that they survived – this all seems to surreal to believe that not even a year later, he passes away. What a tremedous loss. Our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Rest In Peace Adam Goldstein.

Here’s a photo of the lovely Jessenia Vice, a model from New Jersey, teamed up with photographer Philip Torres to create this vibrant image incorporating sneakers with a nice looking lady. Check more info on Jessenia Vice and photographer Phillip Torres by clicking below…

www.modelmayhem.com/jesseniavice
www.modelmayhem.com/philiptorres

Jordan Brand has just released the Black/Shadow Grey colorway of the Air Jordan Retro 1 High. While its “official” release is due for September, it has already appeared at select Jordan Brand accounts and of course, on Ebay. This is an OG 1 colorway and it features a textured Black/Gray leather upper. It retails for $110. Info via KATC

Air Jordan I Retro High
332550-001 Black/Shadow Grey-White
$110.00

Slam presents the JORDAN issue. A Special Collector’s Issue Honoring MJ’s Induction into the Hall of Fame. Scanned inside of the current KICKS issue by SLAM.

Here you have our honey of the day, Dominican/Puerto Rican model Raquel Reign with an amazing 36F-27-40 frame. In these photos taken by VXN Studios, she’s rockin’ a pair of Jordan XIV’s and she also seems to lean more towards a guy who knows a thing or two about kicks. Here’s what she said in regards to what she looks for in a guy…

“…A man that’s Intelligent, Smooth, Funny, Loyal and a man that can keep his kicks clean; because if your swagger is nice but your kick game is not- I’ll boot your ass real quick…”

For more photos, look below after the break…

By any normal day, sneaker shop Air Traffic Control is usually filled with customers and sneaker aficionados looking for ultra-exclusive kicks. Well, on Saturday August 15, 2009 – Air Traffic Control was completely transformed into 1/3 sneaker shop, 1/3 art show and 1/3 lounge. Mi Gente Clothing along with various other sponsors, hosted an art show featuring the works of Big Doves, who you may know as the creator of Mi Gente’s infamous “Suck My Kicks” logo. The night was also extra special as it served as a mini-memorial and tribute to recently passed Miami graffiti legend, Oil aka Oiler, who passed earlier in the week. And ironically, the night of Big Dove’s art show was coincidently Oil’s birthday. A tribute canvas was displayed along with a pair of Air Force 1’s that Oil designed before he passed. Rest in Peace, Oil!!!

As far as how the night turned out – well, sneakerheads and art-lovers of all shapes, sizes and colors stopped by to check out the show. You even had complimentary drinks courtesy of Belvedere Vodka, and Amp’d Energy Drinks courtesy of the Amp girls that passed through. And before we called it a night we had to ask the owners of ATC if they had any exclusive sneakers in the shop – and with that, we ran into a pair of Jordan IV Retros UNDFTD “Military Olive Suede/Orange”, where there are apparently only 72 in existence. Then we ran into a pair of the KAWS designed 1World Air Force 1’s. Overall, it was a great night.

Photos of the entire event, along with people, sneakers, artwork and more by clicking below…

Click below to see photos. You can also use the Left & Right keys on your keyboard for easier navigation.

 

Tons of sneaker coverage, with Chicago’s Derrick Rose on the cover, SLAM presents its annual KICKS edition – marking this one as the 12th featured issue of its kind for SLAM. Over 400 current sneakers (rare limited included) are featured in this issue, along with a feature on the newly premiered Lebron VII’s. The 12th edition of KICKS is now available on news stands everywhere. Via KicksOnFire

BONUS | View all of the previous covers of KICKS by clicking here

]]> http://sneakertalk.com/2009/08/16/slam-presents-kicks-12-featuring-derrick-rose/feed/ 0 http://sneakertalk.com/2009/08/15/suraj-from-sneaker-room-nj-passes-by-footsoldiers-mia/ http://sneakertalk.com/2009/08/15/suraj-from-sneaker-room-nj-passes-by-footsoldiers-mia/#comments Sat, 15 Aug 2009 07:41:49 +0000 SneakerTalk http://sneakertalk.com/?p=306

Suraj “The Sneaker Ambassador”, owner of Jersey City based sneaker boutique, Sneaker Room. We’ve run into Suraj once or twice in Miami. He’s always represented his store like no other and was proud to give Jersey City an outlet to buy exclusive sneakers right within their own city limits. The shop opened up on November 4, 2006, but is now currently in the process of relocating to Newark, NJ. Stay updated on the status of their new opening right here on SneakerTalk and/or give them a call at 1-201-386-0501.

Well, Suraj took a break from the up-north state of mind and came down to Miami this past week. He enjoyed the sun and even passed by the set of Fat Joe’s video for “Aloha” that we posted a photo from a couple days ago. Also on his trip to The 305, Suraj passed by Foot Soldiers, which is located in Downtown Miami (100 SE 1st Ave Miami, FL 33131) and he gave them a peek at one the Air Force 1’s in his collection. Suraj came through with a Nike ID designed AF1 that featured primarily a gray suede with a white “swoosh” and teal accents on the sole and the laces. He definitely chose a perfect pair to wear that fits in with the traditional Miami vibe.  More photos of the sneaker and Suraj – below after the break. Photos courtesy of Foot Soldiers

This is an extremely dope photograph taken at one of Miami’s MetroMover stations. It features the “Real Heads” shirt by 8 And 9 Designs. To purchase this shirt, visit 8 And 9’s store at shop.8and9.com

We guess that while Fat Joe waits on the production to finish on the bulk of his Protegé/K-mart “Blackout” sneakers, he chose to rock a pair of Kanye-designed Louis Vuitton sneakers (the Jasper model) on set of his latest video shoot for the single “Aloha” featuring Pleasure P. This was shot yesterday on set in Miami Beach. Those sneakers definitely stand out like a sore-thumb. Nice to see Joey giving Kanye the co-sign for his LV venture.

Photo Credit: Troy from Unique Auto Sports

If you have $2,300 laying around and if you happen to be a size 15, then these are for you. This Air Jordan II PE was made specifically to honor Marcus Jordan’s (Michael Jordan’s son) high school colors. A student of the Whitney Young High School in Chicago. These are extremely rare and OSneaker managed to get these in their hands. Via SneakerNews

This is XXL Magazine’s newest Eye Candy of the month – and her name is Shakur. Above is a taste of her spread in the current issue of XXL Magazine and and all you need to know is the following…

34DD-23-36.

Spotted via The305.com

Complex recently put together a list of the top Nike Basketball commercials. The list was full of classics and tons of nostalgia-infused clips. Now, we feel that the commercial featured above should’ve topped the list, but unfortunately it came in at Number Two, per Complex. Regardless,you can’t deny that it was an innovative commercial and the concept was executed well. From the music, to the shot transitions. Press play and enjoy.

View the rest of the Top 10 and see what made “Number One” by clicking here

Stella Hernandez is a Miami-based photographer. And right here you have a photo that’s part of a series she did that involved combining multiple exposures of her subject at a location and the only thing that changed per each exposure was the sneakers her subject was wearing. The concept was impecable and the way she executed it, even more so. And a nice choice of shirt that pays homage to J Dilla.

Check out more of Stella’s work over on her official website: www.stellahernandez.com

The newest incarnation of the the Nike Lebrons was unveiled recently. And designer Jason Petrie really goes into detail on the complexity behind the design. Above you can see a couple sketches and renderings of what later became the Nike Air Max LeBron VII. Below are words straight from the man himself via SneakerNews

“My design process isn’t set in stone, but I am always trying to find what Ken Link calls the “truth” in the shoe. Usually I first look to identify the problem we need to solve and who we are solving it for. Once that is established my inspiration can come from anywhere, but it most often comes from the game and the culture around it. Having grown up a fan of basketball, as well as basketball and sneaker culture, I use that history combined with the game theater to fuel my creative process. With that as a foundation I then look to whatever the inspiration point may be for that particular project. That can be anything from athlete insight, an amazing moment in the game, a great movie, a beautiful car, or even just an afternoon on the court with friends talking smack. The love and beauty of the game is an endless source of inspiration for me, and when you add Nike’s science and technical prowess to that, you get this amazing blend of imagination and technology. To me, finding that “truth” is using that blend of imagination and technology to solve your problem, and using that solution to enable athletes to continue to push their boundaries and unlock pieces of the game that we haven’t ever seen before.”

To see a video of Lebron and Jason getting more in detail about the back story of the shoe, click below…

A while back we ran into Mayor, who is pretty much the undisputed king of Air Force 1’s. Mayor is from the Bronx and he has over 1,000 (+) pairs of sneakers. He literally told us that he could wear a different pair of sneakers each day for three years and not run out. Not a lot of people can say that. Well, while we spoke, he showed us this custom piece he had done. Its a Air Force 1’s piece in 18 kt White Gold with VVS diamonds. It literally left us speechless.

Here’s a photo taken at the first ever Mi Gente Clothing Battle of The Jordans that took place at Buck 15 on Miami Beach – back on March 27, 2007. Pictured above is Jordan brand rep Ivan Diaz and Fat Joe, along with the winner for the females, Jissa, who won with her pair of OG Sky Jordan I’s (1985), and Kwab won with his rare OG Air Jordan I’s White & Grey (1985) that even made Fat Joe do a double-take. They each walked away with an Air Jordan III Laptop Bag, Mike Bibby Team-Dime Player Exclusive B Loyal autographed shoe and Mi Gente custom T-shirts.

Model, Edsel, poses with a pair of Air Force 1’s inside of sneaker boutique Soles Inc, a shop located in the heart of South Beach in sunny Florida. Photo Taken by David Rosario and make-up done by Angie Garcia.

For more information on Soles Inc, visit www.solesinc.com

Easily the most anticipated Jordan release of the year. The Air Jordan XI “Space Jams” will definitely cause up a storm this November when they’re unleashed to the public. And via NiceKicks we have a detailed look at the newly designed packaging adorned with matching blue details and a variety of Jordan and “23″ imprints throughout the packaging. See more photos below…

Click below to see photos. You can also use the Left & Right keys on your keyboard for easier navigation.

 

What is SneakerTalk.com? Well, the honest answer is that we kind’ve can’t tell you just yet. But what we can say is that SneakerTalk will without a doubt become a quality destination for daily sneaker news, exclusive interviews, event coverage, dynamic content and an original perspective on the sneaker and fashion industries – all in while, talking sneakers with some of the most interesting people in the sneaker world from shop owners, designers, collectors and even the normal everyday person who loves their occasional sneaker-fix. And of course, we’ll give you daily news and links to keep you updated with all the latest sneaker releases. Plus we’ll give the fellas an occasional taste of eye candy and bless you with an MP3 song here and there.

The site is still under construction, but we can promise you that all the sections will be complete within the coming months. We’re excited to start this new venture and bring a fresh perspective to the sneaker culture and sneaker journalism as we’ve come to know it. We’re based out of sunny Miami, Florida – home of Team Jordan’s newest member, Dwayne Wade – so we’re definitely going to get it in over the next couple months. Although, we’re still putting the final touches on the site we will still update occasionally on a daily basis. And you can also look through all of our older  articles and previous stories that were done under The305.Com brand name (our sister site). You’ll always see all the latest features and top stories towards the middle of the right column. So again, feel free to keep checking back and/or subscribe to our Twitter & RSS feed to receive all the latest updates. Thanks for visiting and we hope you come again.

NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) today announced a World Tour featuring NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James that will span three continents over two months focusing on empowering youth, community service, grassroots basketball activities, and basketball innovation through the introduction of the Nike Air Max LeBron VII.

James’ World Tour will operate in conjunction with the promotional tour for the Lionsgate film, More Than a Game, which traces James’ journey through adolescence both on and off the court with his teammates from Saint Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. Lionsgate is expecting to release the film in theaters on October 2nd, with an expansion on October 9th, and a wider expansion on October 16th.

Nike will introduce James’ next signature performance shoe, the Nike Air Max LeBron VII, in advance of the World Tour which begins in Chicago on August 11.

From Chicago, the World Tour moves onto Washington, D.C. (August 14) and James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio (August 21); Beijing (August 24), Shenyang (August 26), and Shanghai (August 28) in China; and Paris (Sept 1-3) and London (September 4-5). The Tour returns to the U.S. in New York (September 20) before concluding in Los Angeles (September 26).

“More than a Game will enable kids all around the world to learn that they can achieve their dreams and goals through hard work and perseverance, not just in basketball but in whatever they decide to do in life,” said LeBron James. “We can all give back and make a difference in many different ways which I hope to convey and lead by example.”

Community Involvement
In each market, Nike and James will issue a call to action among youth to change their lives while improving their neighborhoods. Nike Basketball aims to engage and mobilize young men and women to serve their community through sport and create a positive change in their own backyards.

In addition to this community effort, James will attend Nike-hosted basketball skills clinics and celebrations where residents can unwind and have fun with James. Participants will be able to play basketball, develop their basketball skills, and learn more about Nike’s new padded base layer called Nike Pro Combat and SPARQ Training (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, Quickness), all in an interactive environment.

Artist Series
As part of the community celebrations, James will be presented with an exclusive pair of Nike Air Max LeBron VIIs featuring a city-inspired design created by a local artist.

Nike is collaborating with ten artists, each from a different city along the World Tour, to create unique designs for the Nike Air Max LeBron VII. James will receive a pair from each artist representing each city, creating a 10-pair collection that will be auctioned after the World Tour with proceeds going to support James’ global community service initiatives.

The artists, who will present James with their creation, were encouraged to push the creative envelope and bring the cities’ special characteristics to life on the shoe.

While the artist-renditions of the Nike Air Max LeBron VII will not be available at retail, Nike is proud to release 123 limited-edition pairs of the Nike Air Max LeBron VII in each tour city. Each of the 123 pairs will feature an image from the More Than A Game film inset on the lateral side of the shoe near the heel. Each city will feature a different image.

Tour Schedule
Chicago, Illinois August 11 Shanghai, China August 28
Washington D.C. August 14 Paris, France September 1-3
Akron, Ohio August 21 London, England September 4-5
Beijing, China August 24 NYC, New York September 20
Shenyang, China August 26 LA, California September 26

Celebrity DJ and paparazzi favorite, Samantha Ronson, has always been seen out and about rockin’ a pair of fresh Supra’s on her feet. And according to the Supra blog, Samantha has “been a friend of the brand since it started.” Well, so much so that they let her partner up with them on an exclusive color-way release of their Indy silhouette, which is slated for a broad release, later this fall. Supra will be throwing a grand affair to celebrate the release at Chicago’s Angel & Kings – this Saturday Auguts 8th. Samantha will definitely be on the 1’s and 2’s and perform a set, while Wu-Tang legend GZA, will perform. Tons of giveaways by Supra and KR3W will be handed out through the evening. If you cannot wait and want these sneakers now, Factory 413 has all the sizes in stock for a cool $148. Click here to purchase.

To see detailed photos of Samantha’s sneaker and for a close-up view of the flyer, click on the thumbnails below…

 

We have to give credit where its due. Sneakerized, a German sneaker site put in some time to develop this animated short to promote the relaunch of their site. Luckily this video is in English. Its clever and all, but we can’t help but feel like it has a Willy Wonka & The Sneaker Factory kind of tone. You’ll see what we mean. It’s dope nonetheless.

According to MediaTakeout, Kanye West isn’t stopping at Nike – and isn’t stopping at Louis Vuitton. Kanye has his heart set at teaming up with Jordan Brand to add another notch to his designer repertoire and his fashion resume. MediaTakeout states:

“According to a pretty well placed source, Kanye is negotiating to design a limited edition pair of Nike Air Jordan’s. The insider claims that negotiations are still early, but that both sides are excited about working out a deal.”

One can only imagine what Kanye would have up his sleeve if this rumor does come to fruition. The possibilities are endless. Let’s see how this turns out.

Culture Kings is a boutique located in the heart of Miami’s Design District. It features a large selection of independent brands, as well as tons of the big dogs. Well, we decided that we’d invite model/singer/dancer  Zuly to do a quick couple of shots inside the walls of Culture Kings. We used a Adidas/Run-DMC theme for one shot and a Jordan VIII Aqua for another. And for our main shot (also pictured above), we used an All-Jordan infused backboard courtesy of Like Mike Clothing. Photos taken by David Rosario and Make-Up by Angie Garcia. Click below to see all the photos.

Click below to see photos. You can also use the Left & Right keys on your keyboard for easier navigation.

 

For more information on Culture Kings, visit www.culturekings.com

For more information on Zuly, visit her on her group’s myspace at www.myspace.com/lascaprice

Its hard to believe that its been more than ten years since Raekwon’s Immobilarity came out. The album was welcomed with mediocre reviews, but there was one gem on the album that was undisputable. From the insane instrumental, to  the Nas vocals on the chorus, Raekwon’s “Sneakers” became a cult classic heads to sneakerheads of all generations. Listening to the song ten years later, it still makes sense. Listen below to “Sneakers” by Raekwon

Raekwon – Sneakers

Download: Click Here

From the Fall 2008 issues of LTD Magazine. ATL’s Greg Street.

So Icey… Available via CCS

www.sneakerpimps.net

The Jordan PHLY Legend has been claiming its spot as one of the more widely accepted sillouettes in the Jordan Brand arsenal. And this colorway is no exception. You can pick up a pair now at your local and/or online Jordan Brand retailer for about $95.

Easily one of the best looking models on the urban modeling scene – Brenda Lynn Acevedo aka Brenda Lynn. A Puerto Rican model from New Jersey. She got one of her early stints at major exposure by being featured in Show Magazine a couple times. And then she was named Miss Howard TV March 2008 on the much-famed Howard Stern show – which on the show she revealed that she is/was dating a professional poker player.

Either way, since then she’s been featured as the voluptuous redhead that was dancing around Lil’ Wayne the video for Keri Hilson’s song “Turnin Me On”. She also made lead appearances in Soulja Boy Tell`Em’s “Bird Walk” and Jay Z’s 2007 hit, “Blue Magic” from the American Gangster album.

Brenda now graces the over of Show Magazine for the second time now and its conveniently on newsstands right now. She told Show that the magazine actually “opened a lot of doors to a lot of modeling and acting opportunities” for her. She also stated that “modeling is my own little getaway from the real world.”

Sneakerpimps 2009 Miami was ridiculous. The Clipse and the Cool Kids tore it down! And of course, we have the exclusive look at how it went down. From the attendees, to the vendors and performances.We get an incredible HD video of the event brought to us courtesy …

Shout outs to Safe from Mi Gente Clothing, Rick (Abstrak), Alexis, and the rest of the Invazion family, Dave Jeff, Clark Kent, 004 Connect, Nepz, Like Mike Clothing, Last Rights Clothing family, the whole Shoe Gallery fam, Soles Inc, Plus Givens, Female Sneaker Fiends and everybody else we saw out there.

Its post season for the Nike Air Yeezy and seemingly the worst has passed. However, Filippo Perin wanted to take one more stab at keeping that Air Yeezy buzz alive. He made some Air Yeezy paper models. Dope enough to catch Kanye’s attention. Its crazy the things you can do with paper. Check more photos below…

 

]]> http://sneakertalk.com/2009/07/31/art-air-yeezy-paper-models-by-filippo-perin/feed/ 0 http://sneakertalk.com/2009/07/31/photo-of-the-day-ghostwridah/ http://sneakertalk.com/2009/07/31/photo-of-the-day-ghostwridah/#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:50:59 +0000 admin http://sneakertalk.com/?p=77

As you read the site, you’ll notice an occassional photo of the day. As done above…

www.davidrosario.com

Jeff Staple is best known for designing the ultra-iconic Nike SB Dunk Low Pro Pigeon. We also posted some dope T-Shirts he dropped a couple months back. Well, Jeff Staple now teams up with Payless Shoes (yes, Payless) to drop this new series. Its pretty dope to see a successful and amazingly established designer like Jeff take somewhat of a risk and partner up with Payless. The ones above are called the “Gambits”. They’re pretty dope. And for Payless price-range, you can’t go wrong. But I’ll be real – besides the one shown above, I’m not really feeling the rest of the designs in the series.  But you be the judge.

UPDATE: It has been reported that some Payless locations have received these, but they should hit all and/or most of them within the coming weeks

View the rest of the designs below…

]]> http://sneakertalk.com/2009/07/28/staple-x-airwalk-sneakers-for-payless-yes-payless-shoes/feed/ 0 http://sneakertalk.com/2009/07/18/95/ http://sneakertalk.com/2009/07/18/95/#comments Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:16:37 +0000 SneakerTalk http://sneakertalk.com/?p=95

SHOE GALLERY release recap of the FLOMs & Hideouts
Words and Photos by David Rosario (www.davidrosario.com)

Saturday July 18th, 2009 marked the Nike LIVESTRONG release date for the Hideout x Nike Air Footscape Wovens and the highly anticipated Futura x Nike Dunk Hi “FLOM” (For Love or Money). Both are two of the last scheduled releases in the LIVESTRONG series. And Miami-based Shoe Gallery was one of the few retailers in the world with the opportunity to bring this release to the public.

Dozens and dozens of people flocked into Downtown Miami on a Saturday morning for their chance to receive a pair of the highly famed FLOMs. It might have seemed like an ordinary sneaker release, but unbeknown to everybody waiting outside – Shoe Gallery celebrated the release by putting together a special surprise visit by Futura himself.

Futura, greeted the lucky recipients of the sneaker and stayed around until the very last pair was sold. He talked with customers, signed autographs and even did a special impromptu piece on a shoebox for a young lady who bought a pair of the FLOMs for her brother. Even when the release wrapped up, Futura made sure to go outside Shoe Gallery to thank everyone for supporting this project and walked around to shake hands and personally greet everyone who came out for the release.

This will definitely go down as one of the more special releases at Shoe Gallery. And with all proceeds going towards a great cause, each shoe that is part of the Livestrong series is even that much more special.

Click below to see photos. You can also use the Left & Right keys on your keyboard for easier navigation.

 

Dwayne Wade now on Jordan Brand – no more Converse
Jordan brand is now the official homie of Dwayne Wade. I’ve been waiting for this news for a long time. Its been officially announced – Dwayne Wade will now be a member of Nike’s Jordan Brand. This is the best news I’ve heard in a long time. What this means now though, is the upcoming Converse Wade V will most likely be cancelled. Wade now joins Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Derek Jeter under the Jordan brand umbrella. Read the entire story below…

Wade changes brand to build his own
NBA scoring champion Dwyane Wade is changing shoes, making the switch from Converse to Nike’s Jordan Brand.

Nike announced Friday that the star Miami Heat guard will now be representing the Jumpman label, joining the likes of Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Derek Jeter.

Wade had three years remaining on his deal with Converse, which had him as the centerpiece of its attempt to reinvigorate the company’s once-thriving basketball business. That relationship seemed rocky when the 2006 NBA Finals MVP rarely wore his most recently released signature shoe, the “Wade 4,” last season, favoring an older model instead.

The Jordan Brand is a 12-year-old division of Nike, which also owns Converse.

“I grew up on the south side of Chicago idolizing Michael Jordan and have worked hard to achieve the same success that he’s had on the court,” Wade said. “I have enormous respect for this brand.”
Wade told The Associated Press that he inquired about switching allegiances from Converse to Jordan’s brand before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, doing so, he said, out of concern over Converse’s long-term viability in the basketball marketplace.

The 2008 request was declined, but earlier this month, Wade said he was “almost positive” a switch would happen.

“I didn’t want to be in the Converse brand anymore because it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with me,” Wade told the AP.

Coming off a year where the Heat went from 15 to 43 wins and Wade won his first scoring title, Nike apparently agreed that the switch now made sense.

“I’m thrilled to have Dwyane Wade join the Team Jordan family,” Michael Jordan said.
The deal was finalized Thursday afternoon. Complete terms were not released, although it was believed that the new deal, at minimum, matches the remaining three years on the Converse contract.

It’s a significant add to Wade’s endorsement résumé which already includes deals with T-Mobile and Gatorade.

“I want to go global,” said Wade, who is planning a trip to China later this summer for a series of business meetings and appearances. “It’s something I feel like I have to do. I want to continue to build my brand.”

Wade made a cryptic reference to the move on his Twitter feed late Thursday night, saying he had “good news coming…..stay tuned.” Dozens of people quickly starting pleading for more information, even Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick, who inquired via Twitter if that was Wade’s way of saying he had agreed to a contract extension with the Heat.

The move wasn’t totally unexpected: As recently as last week, Wade was at a charity event with children in Miami wearing apparel featuring the Jumpman logo, prompting one of the kids he was meeting with to ask if he still was aligned with Converse.

Wade donned a blue pair of Converse sneakers at the Zo’s Summer Groove game he co-hosted Sunday with Alonzo Mourning.

That’ll likely be his last appearance in that brand. A “Wade 5″ shoe was to be released by Converse in the coming weeks, although it now seems likely that orders from retailers for that model will be canceled.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

Here are two black and white themed shirts I spotted over at Karmaloop.

The Throwdown Tee by Two In The Shirt – Probably the best usage of females on their shirts, T.I.T.S. comes with again. Cop it for $30 by clicking here

The No Love Tee by Dissizit – I love me some Charlize Theron. Cop it for $32 by clicking here

To bring in the iconic 25th Anniversary of the Def Jam Records movement, Def Jam is  teaming up with Adidas to create a couple designs and releases with the likes of Redman, Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Young Jeezy (who’s design is featured above). Each artist received the opportunity to put their own touch onto various Adidas models will have their pairs released this Fall 2009 for consumers to purchase.

After this Mr. Cartoon Air Force 1’s dropped last week, these go hand-in-hand in color and in statement. These are known as the OAKLEY Livestrong Jawbone Performance Sunglasses and go for a cool $205. Buy them by clicking here.

Yesterday, we brought you the exclusive video recap of Sneakerpimps Miami 2009. Well as promised, here are some of the photos. There were Xbox stations, lots of female sneakerheads, lots of sneakers on exhibit and tons of vendors on the DunkXchange floor. And without needing to mention, there were performances and meet-and-greets by The Cool Kids and The Clipse. You also had a “keeping-it-real” moment when Dave Jeff and Clark Kent cleared up the Sneakergate controversy that has surrounded Big Boi during his the previous Sneakerpimps stop in Atlanta.

But once again, shout outs to Sneakerpimps organization for letting us cover the event. Shouts out to Safe from Mi Gente Clothing, Alexis, Rick (Abstrak) and the rest of the Invazion family, Dave Jeff, Clark Kent, 004 Connect, Like Mike Clothing, Bird Club Clothing, Air Traffic Control, Last Rights Clothing family, the whole Shoe Gallery fam, Soles Inc, Plus Givens, FemaleSneakerFiend.Com and everybody else we saw out there.  Check the photos and the video below…
Photography by DRO – www.davidrosario.com

 

Nike challenged seniors at Miami’s Booker T. Washington High School, to create their own artistic expression regarding Black History Month through the art of spoken word. The finalists composed an original spoken word piece to interpret this period drawing upon such pivotal moments including the Civil Rights Movement. A panel of celebrities including popular Miami Heat disk jockey DJ Irie, former NBA athlete Alonzo Mourning, spoken word poet Ruth Tuffit and Nike representatives announced the contest winners.

Jazmine Snyder, the first place winner received a $1000 scholarship, and both Staresha Charles and Walter Peterson are the Second and Third place winners who each received a $500 scholarship. All three will also receive a pair of the limited edition Black History Month Air Force 1 shoes.

Sneaker Info: The Air Force 1 shoe is one of Nike’s most revered and iconic models. This limited-edition version is not for sale but rather a special product, proudly displaying the colors of the African American flag. Rich black leathers have been chosen to represent the essence of all color. Contrast stitching has been used to show an energetic pop of pride and perseverance. The centennial logo honors the long and rich history of the African American culture. Forty-four stars circle the outer perimeter of the logo to represent the celebration of the first African American to represent a people as well as the American government. The Swoosh has a luxury material of metallic black leather and the outsoles are marbleized like the courtrooms of the US Supreme Court – the place where many civil rights battles were fought and won.

Detailed photos after the jump……

Shoe Gallery Miami’s Jordans XX3 Finale Release
Photos and Words by David “DRO” Rosario (www.davidrosario.com)

The red searchlights spun around the Downtown Miami skyline and could be seen from afar on the evening of December 23, 2008. The elusive “Finale” (final) colorway of the Jordan XX3’s were on their way to being released at Shoe Gallery. Since news broke about the release, a small group of dedicated sneakerheads made way to Shoe Gallery almost 11 days before the actual release. They set up shop for a camp-out until the sneakers were released on December 23rd. 22 other Jordan brand retailers around the country joined Shoe Gallery in releasing the final colorway of the XX3’s. A total of 529 pairs (23 per store) were sold worldwide, making them ultra-exclusive.

Shoe Gallery always goes far and beyond to treat their dedicated customers right and this release was no exception of that. Red searchlights greeted them and made Shoe Gallery the eye of Downtown Miami on the night before Christmas Eve.

Everyone who got their pair was grateful to finally be able to hold their prize and get to finally…well, go home. The first person in line was proud to be number “one” and Shoe Gallery gave him a few additional pieces of gear on-the-house in a show of their appreciation. It was funny that throughout the 11 days of the camp-out, a few of the people in line worked out a system were they would alternate going home and then come back in line and switch and etc. A great show of dedication mixed with a bit of maturity. With that, see ya next year with the Jordans 2009 coming soon!!

PHOTOS BELOW….

KOBE BRYANT SURPRISES A HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TEAM. PHOTOS OF THE EVENT AND ADDRESS FOR SNEAKER PURCHASE BELOW.

As you may or may not know, Kobe Bryant recently unveiled his fourth signature shoe, the Zoom Kobe IV last week in Los Angeles. It was said to be the lightest basketball shoe ever, weighing in at 11.6 ounces. Since then, anticipation has been building as it was announced that he would officially bring them on to the court for the first time at tonight’s Miami Heat game against the Lakers.

Immediately upon arriving to Miami, Kobe had made plans in his tight schedule to make sure he visited one of South Florida’s premier high school basketball teams. That being, Dillard High School in Broward. The only catch was that it was going to be a surprise to all the kids.  Dillard High School holds claim to holding Florida’s 2007-08 Boy’s State Championship, as well as four titles in a row from 2001 – 2004. So it was only natural that Kobe would be drawn to speak to the collective.

To sum up the events that took place at Dillard’s gymnasium – the kids didn’t know what hit them. They were going about their usual practice routines and drills, but an onslaught of unusual courtside media and cameras sparked the curiosity of the team. They knew something was happening. And soon enough Kobe stepped in and took the team by surprise. Kobe spoke with the team’s head coach, who after seeing the team run fast towards Kobe – coach jokingly shouted that “if they could only run this fast on the court, we’d be at a real good place this season.” Obviously joking because given their impressive drills ran during the practice we observed, the team seems to be in great shape and doing just fine.

Kobe talked with the kids and the media a bit and talked about his newest sneaker release…and…the widely sought “Venom” colorway. Not only that, but Kobe presented his biggest effort to the kids – an opportunity to design their own free custom pair of the Zoom Kobe IV’s via NikeID. The kids were estatic and couldn’t wait to have their turn at creating their very own pair. The locker room was transformed into a mini-design studio/workshop for the kids to get their creative sides in action.

All in all, it was a great show of character by Kobe to step up and offer his time to these kids. Although it may be small to you and me, this could serve as a great confidence booster to these kids to keep striving to achieve what they’ve always dreamed of achieving.

Photos of the entire event and detailed sneaker shots below…

Interview By DRO – DJ Clark Kent. He’s a legend in his own right. He discovered the greatest rapper alive…Jay-Z. He’s worked with hip-hop royalty including Biggie. And he’s Foxy Brown’s cousin. Oh yeah, plus he’s a major sneakerhead if you haven’t caught on. Read on as he we met up with him at Miami’s ultimate sneaker destination..Shoe Gallery. Clark discusses his latest 112 Pack with Nike, his relationship with Mi Gente Clothing and also lets us know exactly what Clark Knows!!!

What brings you to Miami?
Well you know I came down to do the shoe release and autographs with Danny at Shoe Gallery. You know, and we sold out in 45 minutes. We got the afterparty at Nikki Beach. Yo, the sneaker thing is really something I love. but I am a DJ first. So in the club is where you really get to see what I do. That’s where the movie ensues. That’s when Clark Scorsese gets it in. I make movies….get into it.

So tell me a little about the 112 pack. I saw the line of people that were outside Shoe Gallery for two days. Give me a little back story on the creation of the pack.
Well, I’m a consultant to Nike and I sat down with my boy Astor Chambers who’s Global Brand Marketing and I said I wanted to do a shoe. He agreed and half-way through the design he tells me to do a 1’s pack. I told him that it was easy to do but that I never really wore trainers. He told me that the challenge was to make a trainer that I would wear. So I sat down and 12 minutes later the entire pack was designed with pure heat.

12 minutes?
Yeah. But you know, I had the idea for the idea for the Air Force’s like ten years ago. So I had a little jump on that one. I just needed to wait for my chance to get inside the building and I’m in now. I’m sold out worldwide.

So how’d you link up with Mi Gente Clothing (who designed a special T-shirt to go along with the 112 pack)?
Well one day I was watching a video and a good good good friend of mines named Fat Joe was wearing a shirt that said “Joe Knows” and it was sick because it matched the shoes that he had on. And was like ‘who the hell did that?’ So I called Macho, who’s Joe’s manager and asked him about the shirt and he said his boy Safe with Mi Gente Clothing did it and that he’ll hook me up with him. Well…it took approximately nine months for Macho to even let it be okay for me to talk to Safe… (Laughs)

Some people are protective of their connect, no? (Laughs)
But you know, after 5 months of me buying like every other T-Shirt that Mi Gente had, I guess somebody gave the green light for a “Clark Knows” shirt to be made for me. You know, cuz that’s what I was on. Joe’s shirts said “Joe Knows Kicks”. And there’s no lie to that, but I REALLY know Kicks too! I was a little jealous so I wanted one of them shirts that said “Clark Knows…” So it took the time but me and Safe have since become really close and we both help each other out extremely. But we’re doing things that are gonna be big for the culture that we’re trying to cultivate. Safe is just a dope designer period. I gotta give him his effective props and I’m glad that I am even able to associate with him. I wear Mi Gente at least four to five times a week.

So, besides kicks, what else does Clark know?
Clark-Knows-FRESH. Just the way it sounds. Anything that you could imagine being fresh. I’m addicted to fresh. I know fresh. Sneakers, music, computers, studio equipment, phones, watches. I know fresh-everything. Matter fact…

(***this is where Clark stops the interview and yells out for Safe from Shoe Gallery’s backroom to tell him that he needs for him and Resh [Safe's partner with Mi Gente] to create him a “Clark Knows Fresh” t-shirt***)

That’s gonna be the new Clark Mi Gente shirt. “Clark Knows Fresh”….I like that. Thanks for asking that question.

It was born right here.
You just sparked a new shirt! Thank you!

Word, glad I could help! So…what’s your favorite thing about Miami?
The energy! I used to come to Miami before there was hip-hop on South Beach. Me and this guy named Peter Thomas, who had a club named Club Onyx that used to be on the beach – and I used to be the DJ that would come down from New York every week. Even though we took a little bit of a beating in the beginning, its still built the hip-hop element on South Beach. He also threw How Can I Be Down? If he didn’t do those things, you probably wouldn’t see hip-hop like how it is right now on Miami Beach. So when all that kept growing I always came down. The energy down here just started to become like a monster. When you come down here, the energy of being in a club down here is insane. And I’m a DJ and that’s what you DJ for…the energy. That’s what its about.

What do you have coming up?
I’m working on a new young guy named Curtains. Also Sandman from The Re-Up Gang. And I think I’m going to start on my cousin Foxy Brown’s next project any day now. She has a new deal and we just finished talking the other day. I love her for being blood and she’s been through some stuff. So after anybody goes through some stuff, you really need the people around you that care about you to really hold you down. I’ma definitely hold it down for her.

Favorite beat ever made?
My favorite beat was the “Brooklyn’s Finest” beat because its the most unorthodox beat. Its not four bars and its just made wrong. It was made wrong on purpose. The whole making-of-the-record was something else before Biggie got to it. It was a totally different song and all the elements happened to come together for where they needed to be. Biggie actually heard the beat by accident before and wanted it for himself, but I had already made it specifically for Jay. But that to me is the best beat I ever made. But you know, music is not like that anymore…

You mentioned your favorite beat, now how about your favorite song?
The best song that I think I ever made was “Sky’s The Limit” with Biggie. The song just feels perfect.

So any last words before we let you go?
I want to the following rules to be set! I just wanna say that heir to throne when it comes to kicks is a guy named Mayor from The Bronx, he’s one of my better friends. We have over 25 years of friendship and his Air Force 1 collection is retarded. Also, Frank “All Day” White from Brooklyn has the most Air’s around. And the best sneaker collection all around is DJ Greg Street. But the best Air collection…you got it right here. Clark Kent!