THE JOURNAL

Illustrations by Mr Ben Lamb
Most years, the arrival of October has us wondering where the months have gone. In a parallel universe, it seems like only yesterday that spring was here and now we’re kicking up a carpet of crisp fallen leaves. However, perhaps finally reaching the final quarter of 2020 has you surprised it is still 2020 at all, given that the year already feels three times as long. Take consolation (or prep yourself to outrun whatever end-of-level baddie 2020 has in store for us) with a brand-new pair of fresh sneakers, all coming soon to MR PORTER. From Off-White’s sharp new collaboration with Nike to a pair of Air Max 95s inspired by Freddy Krueger, these are the drops that really cut it this month.
01. Rubber Dunk by Nike X Off-White

It’s fair to say that Nike’s Dunk seen a few restyles in its time. The shoe that went some way to make sneaker culture what it is today has been retooled by or in honour of everyone from Comme des Garçons to Cheech and Chong. Mr Virgil Abloh’s latest stab at the basketball-cum-skate shoe is typically one of the more outlandish. It has been built almost like the Centre Pompidou, with the shoe’s structural elements turned into features in themselves. Accented piping – in this instance in a cheery University Blue – is deployed to emphasise the outline of panels, not just the trademark Swoosh. Likewise, the visible air pocket, typically reserved for Air Max releases, is borrowed here to bring the inside-out vibe to the fore. (Surely the upper is a nod to the Air Max 95, too?) The rubber material also makes this version incredibly durable, should you actual deign to wear them.
02. Air Max III by Nike

The Air Max 90 – aka the Air Max III – clearly wasn’t the original iteration of Nike’s game-changing shoe with the bubble. But it is perhaps the silhouette the mind turns to when asked to think of the line as a whole. As well as setting the design language for future versions, its distinctive yet versatile upper became a blank canvas for an array of colourways and collaborations – then US president Mr George Bush Sr even had a pair designed just for him (with “Air Pres” plastered up the side; Air Force One being already taken). However, to mark the shoe’s 30th anniversary, the runner has been reissued in its original accents, a punchy red known as Radiant and the Laser Blue edition featured here, making this the purist’s choice.
03. 550 by New Balance X Aimé Leon Dore

Having reconfigured New Balance’s 827 in children’s-TV-presenter-friendly colours at the start of the year, before moving on to green and pink versions of the 1300, neo-prep designer Aimé Leon Dore turns its attention to the 550. A rare foray into the basketball market that dates back to the mid-1990s, this model is comfortably bulkier than the running shoes the Boston brand is typically known for. The low-top comes in white, with red details that are somewhat more subdued, and closer to the original, than the Queens designer’s take on the eye-catching 827.
04. AM95 by Nike

Did Nike once release a pair of SB Dunks in a colourway inspired by 1980s horror movie A Nightmare On Elm Street, or was it just a dream? Well, yes, but while copyright issues saw that iteration slashed from the schedule – making the few mock-ups that made it out intensely sought after – this version of the Air Max 95 in similar tones is set for an official release. Here, the shoe’s panelling, originally introduced by designer Mr Sergio Lozano to mimic the flow of the human body, takes on the grubby red and faded browny-blue of villain Freddy Krueger’s tatty sweater, with a blood-coloured bubble. (The same motif on a pair of running spikes would’ve been a nice touch, Nike.) Sleep soundly knowing you can get your mitts on these shoes ahead of Halloween.
Illustrations by Mr Ben Lamb