The hotly anticipated Jordan 4 “Raptors” colourway has an official release date! The coveted kicks will be available starting August 18th, and will probably be one of the hottest sneaker releases of the summer.
The new Jordan 4 is comprised of a colourway that pays homage to the Toronto Raptors basketball team and features a mostly-black model features hits of purple and red on the midsole and lace guards. Jordan Brand has not officially associated this shoe with the Toronto Raptors, and according to Hypebeast, the new Kicks can be purchased on August 18th starting at 10 am via Footlocker and Footaction.
If you’re looking to get your hands on a pair don’t sleep in on Saturday, as these will surely sell out.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are aware that the Toronto Raptors made international sporting news with their decision to trade the face of the franchise Demar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs. The trade saw Demar head to San Antonio in exchange for top 5 NBA All-Star Kawhi Leonard, who is widely considered one of the best two-way players in the NBA.
Hypebeast is reporting that Kawhi’s relationship with long-time partner Jordan Brand could be on the rocks. Following the news of Kawhi’s trade north of the border, Jordan Brand, reportedly working on plans to end their relationship with Kawhi Leonard in October.
There is speculation that the ending of the deal has to do with the entire NBA’s lack of love for the only Canadian franchise in the league, while others point to the fact that Kawhi turned down the brand’s 4-year/ $22 million extension offer this past spring.
With Kawhi free to choose a new brand home, it will be interesting to see who steps up to the plate. With a global following, the future Toronto Raptor’s star might take an unexpected partnership with a brand that typically doesn’t dominate in the pro-basketball field.
Stay tuned as this story develops.
Featured Image: Instagram @Sportsbyfry
If you’re a Drake fan, or a love or hip-hop and rap beefs it would have been pretty hard to miss the lyrical fury that has been erupting between rapper Pusha T and Drake.
whether you think the beef is a coordinated stunt (Pusha T anew album just released and Drake’s Scorpion is set to be released soon) or genuine hatred for each other the media frenzy and the music that comes out of such beefs is loved by fans of hip-hop and the culture.
In Pusha T’s latest scathing diss track ” The Story of Adidon” Pusha claims that Drake fathered a secret son named Adonis, and by doing so also outed Drake’s departure from Jordan Brand to Adidas. It’s a little confusing when you dive into it, but essentially Pusha’s lyrics ” Adonis is your son/And he deserves more than an Adidas Press run, that’s real” refers to Drake’s upcoming Adidas release which was supposed to be called “Adidon”.
Pusha T was on The Breakfast Club radio show and laid out exactly what he was talking about. He revealed that Drake’s Adidon Adidas line was named in reference to Drake’s secret son. Pusha T alluded that the revealing of the line’s name would apparently work as a double paternity announcement and brand tie-in. He is quoted as saying ” Who rolls out their child with a sweatsuit?” He is further quoted “We couldn’t know about your child until you started selling sweatsuits and sneakers?” Heavy words, as this rap beef between Pusha and Drake has seen family members from both sides thrown into the mix.
This tweet by journalist Touré succinctly lays out what happened.
Adidon is the name of Drake’s upcoming Adidas line and now that name will be associated with this beef and Pusha’s monstrous diss track. Pusha has, in effect, screwed up Drake’s brand before it came out.
— Touré (@Toure) May 30, 2018
Source: Hypebeast
As one of the most iconic brands in the footwear industry, Jordan Brand has seen its fair share of ups and downs in recent years. There has been an increase in the number of retro releases in countless colourways and new silhouettes which have saturated the market. The product quality of many of these models has been questioned as prices have increased as Jordan Brand launched the Retro Remaster initiative in Spring 2015 in response to consumer feedback which focused on overhauling its retro models to be closer to the original quality that the consumers desire.
Jordan Brand has also been rolling out performance and lifestyle silhouettes for its signature athletes, such as Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, but these models have not been popular as most of the consumers predominantly sought the retro models of Michael Jordan’s original signature line. With that in mind, Jordan Brand teamed up with Drake to put out a number of collections featuring retro models, such as the Air Jordan 10 and Air Jordan 12, in the October’s Very Own colourway of black, white, and gold. There have been numerous recent reports of Drake’s departure from the brand so it was the perfect time for someone else to take his place.
Enter Justin Timberlake.
Image: SneakerNews
He surprised the sneaker world during the Super Bowl halftime performance where he stepped on stage in a pair of shoes that looked strikingly like the Air Jordan 3 ‘White Cement’ but it was announced that he received his own collaborative shoe with the legendary designer, Tinker Hatfield, called the Air Jordan 3 Tinker ‘JTH’. The pair that he wore during the Super Bowl performance sold out instantly during its initial release and has also sold out during the selective releases in the cities of his ‘Man of the Woods’ concert tour. There are additional colourways rumored to release as the first concert pop-up shop displayed five colourways of the Air Jordan 3 Tinker model.
Image: Jordan
Justin Timberlake has been able to create an incredible amount of buzz on social media with his collaborative project with Jordan Brand and this new partnership will be important for the future.
Image: SneakerNews
Are you looking forward to more Justin Timberlake collaborative projects in the future?
Featured image: Instagram/ @justintimberlake
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After an incredible game last night at the Air Canada Centre, the Toronto Raptors now lead their opening playoff series against the Washington Wizards 2-0.
https://youtu.be/jKiPQOuDzfo
To get into the spirit, Hypebeast is reporting that there is an upcoming release underworks featuring the Air Jordan 4 “Raptors” colourway. While the Jordan Brand shoe isn’t officially tied to the Toronto Raptors franchise, the newest Air Jordan model takes on the colour combination of the Toronto Raptors original branding.
While there hasn’t been an official release date yet, this will surely be a standout pair of kicks for Raptors and Jordan Brand fans alike.
The shoe is expected to retail in between $240-$260 CAD.
Image source: Hypebeast
Posts on Instagram and reports through culture blogs like HYPEBEAST are claiming that Drake is unhappy with his Jordan Brand partnership and is seeking opportunities for a better deal. One of the possibilities being speculated on by insiders is that Drake may sign a shoe deal with adidas.
If Drake joined up with adidas he would follow the footsteps of Kanye West who in dramatic fashion also left the Nike family for a working deal with adidas. If Drake did indeed leave Jordan brand for adidas, it would strike a major blow for the Nike owned brand that has been quickly losing its footing to adidas culturally and has already been surpassed by adidas in North American sales.
While neither Drake or adidas has confirmed any of the rumours, adidas has recently told sources like HYPEBEAST that the brand will be making a major announcement in the very near future.
Levi’s and Jordan Brand, have come together once again for a denim and basketball lovers dream capsule collection. The two iconic brands fuse together to create a Jordan inspired Levi’s® Trucker Jacket, and a Levi’s inspired Air Jordan IV. The shoes are a perfect fusion of Levi’s denim with the iconic look of one of Jordan Brand’s most famous classic silhouettes. While the shoes will probably end up being the piece out of the collection that fashion heads have a lasting memory of, we are in love with the Trucker Jacket. The jacket is cut in Lev’s signature style and is reversible to boot, giving multi-use capabilities to this classic iconic piece. the Jordan Reversible Trucker Jacket highlights Levi’s craftsmanship and quality, Flight Suit inspired wings details and standard Levi’s and Jordan branding throughout.
Carefully balancing the DNA of each brand, authentic denim material brings the Trucker Jacket to life on the Air Jordan IV with a standard wash prominent on the outer and reverse denim material on the sock liner and insole. The globally recognized Levi’s “Two Horse” tag has been remixed to include the iconic Jumpman logo and is featured on both tongues and the hangtag. Finishing touches include gum details on the outsole, gold stitching, denim-colored laces and the standard Levi’s Red Tab.
“The inspiration is two iconic brands coming together and there’s a lot of energy around both brands at the moment so it’s a great time to collaborate,” says Steven Burns, Levi’s global design director for men’s bottoms. “The details of the shoes and jackets share the same denim, the same wash, the same threads, the same weight. I like that idea of technical sports apparel mixed with our authentic heritage because it gives it a different kind of edge.”
Levi’s® x Jordan Reversible Trucker Jacket
The Jordan Reversible Trucker Jacket combines our iconic denim Trucker with the crinkle taffeta of the classic Jordan warm-up suit. Worn denim out, red taffeta is stitched into underarm panels for a peek-a-boo flash of color. Meanwhile, the back is adorned with a lightly distressed, silicone raised Flight logo. Reverse it out and you’ve got a perforated, black, crinkle taffeta jacket with a denim accented collar and the Jumpman Flight logo emblazoned on the back.
Customized in all details, the dark-copper shank buttons are co-branded along with the paper patch on the back hem and attached tag.
Price: $198 CAD
Levi’s® x Air Jordan IV
Based on the legendary Jordan IVs, these prewashed, indigo beauties take advantage of warp and weft threading to give the dark-to-light contrast of classic dark denim with a light cuff. A signature Jumpman logo leather patch hangs over the laces.
Price: $300 CAD
Canadian Availability
- Livestock Toronto will be carrying both the Jordan Reversible Trucker Jacket and the Air Jordan IV.
- Levi’s® Yorkdale location will be carrying only the Jordan Reversible Trucker Jacket.
- Capsule will be carrying only the Air Jordan IV.
If you are a fan of the Jordan Brand, you may have already heard that the Jordan store at 306 Yonge Street has re-opened its doors and will be open to the public Saturday, May 27th starting at 6:23 am.
If you had a chance to check out the Jordan Brand store when it popped up during All-Star Weekend, you’ll be happy to hear that the store is now fully complete and features 3 unique floors showcasing everything the Jordan Brand has to offer.
The street level entrance takes you into the main selling space which features the newest Jordan shoes, exclusives and regular stock. 306 Yonge also features an archival display of all 30 Air Jordans Additionally, it features a broad selection of Jordan Brand clothing, a customization studio which allows you to add custom details to sneakers and design your own apparel logos.
The top level of the shop features Centre 23, Jordan Brand’s training space that works with Jordan athletes and will host different levels of programming. In addition to the Centre 23, the top level also features a barber shop giving shoppers a complete service experience.
The lower level features Iconic art from Toronto artist Brian Espiritu that leads you into the kid’s area which has a selection of clothing and footwear for kids as well as the ability to customize certain kids items as well.
The ship is beautiful and will definitely be a hit with Canadian sneaker heads and fans of the Jordan brand as well.
Michael Jordan had a big impact on the footwear industry. You can say that he revolutionized it and completely changed the landscape of how sneakers were marketed and sold. He transcended the world of sports and became an international fashion icon with the help of his Air Jordan line, as well as his trademark Jumpman logo.
The Air Jordan line saw immense success as a performance product, but it also began tapping into the lifestyle market as people were wearing their Jordan shoes not only on the court, but on the streets as well. This had every other footwear company scrambling to find their own MJ throughout the 90s and early-2000s.
Image: adidas
We have seen a rising emphasis on the importance of artists and lifestyle influencers in sneakers, as athletes began taking a backseat in the footwear industry. Run-DMC and their contribution to this movement cannot be understated, as they hold a special place in history with what they did with adidas and the Superstars.
Some may say that the Artist’s Series collection by Nike featuring the likes of Futura, Stash, Pharrell, and ESPO was vital to this shift in the industry. Some may say that this shift occurred when Jay-Z and 50 Cent got their own signature lines at Reebok, the S. Carter and the G-Unit. There will always be those who say that nothing mattered until Kanye released his first signature silhouette with Nike.
Image: Complex/Reebok
Regardless of what catapulted this change in the influence within the footwear industry from athletes to artists, all that matters is that the change did happen. When Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and Kanye received their signature line from Reebok and Nike, it was a very big deal to those who remember those years. Jay-Z and Kanye were the first non-athletes to get their own signature shoes at their respective brands.
Throughout this decade, we have seen many artists collaborating with different brands to help usher in this new age of sneaker culture that we are now in the midst of. We saw adidas working with artists such as Big Sean and 2 Chainz on classic silhouettes during their pre-Boost era, followed by their introduction of Kanye and Pharrell’s signature series during their Boost era.
Image: Jordan Brand
Jordan Brand is very well represented with Drake and his ever-popular OVO collection. Reebok has made a concentrated effort in gaining back traction within the lifestyle market with Kendrick Lamar and Future on their roster. adidas not only has Kanye and Pharrell on their roster, they also work with Pusha T on their EQT line and Desiigner on their XbyO line.
PUMA is one of the brands that is truly embracing this shift towards influential artists and it is safe to say that their hard work paid off. The Fenty by Rihanna collection is one of the best-selling collaborations on the market, and they also made a big splash with the signing of The Weeknd, who will be receiving his own signature XO collection. In addition to The Weeknd and Rihanna, they also have some of the most influential style icons, Kylie Jenner and Big Sean, as faces for some of their other campaigns.
Image: PUMA
It has been truly amazing to see the shift of influence in the sneaker industry and to witness the transformation of the culture from what it was many years ago. Call them musicians or singers, but at the end of their day, they are artists and these footwear designs can be seen as an extension of their artistic craft.
Featured Image: Instagram/@PUMA
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Jordan Brand Store to Return to Toronto at 306 Yonge Street
It’s been more than a year since the Toronto Jordan Brand store at 306 Yonge closed its doors after a successful stint during the 2016 NBA All-Star game in Toronto.
Fans that got a chance to check out the store were treated to the most coveted Jordan Brand kicks and an interactive and innovative retail concept.
Luckily, shoppers that missed a chance to check out the store will now have an opportunity to check out the store whenever they want because Toronto’s first Jordan Brand store will officially open this weekend.
On Saturday, May 27 at 6:23 am, the Jordan Brand store will open its doors to Toronto customers. Expect big lines and access to coveted Jordan brand sneakers, as the company always has a few tricks up their sleeves for store launches.
Regular store hours will resume on Sunday (11 am to 7 pm). Regular hours will be 10 am to 9 pm on weekdays and 9:30 am to 9 pm on Saturdays.
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