FRESH KICKS:

Nike is honoring the annual Puerto Rican Day on June 9 with a special Air Max 1 Premium edition. This “Puerto Rico” iteration reimagines the country’s signature flag colors of white, red and blue to create an upper constructed of leather, mesh and nubuck. Additional details include an embroidered Puerto Rican flag on the heel, mismatched mudguards in red and blue and the words “Pa’lante” and “Mi Gente” on the inner tongues. Branding hits can be found on the mesh-overlayed panel Swoosh along with a distinct Nike PR Air Max tongue tag for good measure.

The Nike Air Max 1 Premium “Puerto Rico” drops June 1 on Nike SNKRS and select retailers for $140 USD.

First seen earlier this week, we now have an intimate view of four sneakers from the forthcoming “BETRUE” pack. Dropping in time for Pride Month 2019, the collection is packed with references and motifs in line with the annual celebration of inclusivity and sexuality.

Inspired by the campaigning of political activist Gilbert Baker, Nike splashes a host of its classic silhouettes with hues inspired by Baker’s Pride Flag, which the designer created by hand in 1979. Working with his estate, Nike created a collection of footwear, garments and accessories informed by the eight-color Pride Flag, an idealized version of the limited six-color version that Baker created due to textile restraints.

Kicking off the footwear offering, the clunky Air Max 720 sports the multiple tones across its gradient upper, with Baker’s signature on the rear of the clear Air Unit midsole and “BETRUE” branding on the pulltab to drive the influence home. The Air Tailwind 79, meanwhile, offers neutral beige tones across the upper’s suede panels, with a see-through mesh middle portion that takes cues from crop tops, completed with a rainbow panel on the heel and pink Swoosh on the tongue tag.

Offering up neutral tones alongside the brighter accents, Nike’s Air Max 90 offers grey and black leather panels alongside white mesh, elevated by multiple embroidered Swooshes in rainbow tones. Colorful plastic panels complement the bright detail, while “Nike Air” is stripped from the heel branding to create a flag-like shape. Finally, the Zoom Pegasus Turbo sports a full-length rainbow stripe and plentiful sparkles across the vamp and heel, because “Baker was always covered in glitter, sparkle and bedazzle,” according to Nike.

Seen via official imagery mere days ago, we now have a closer look at the adidas Originals YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 in “Triple Black.” Though the sneaker’s name was rumored to be “Black Static Non-Reflective” and adidas’ site refers to the latest YEEZY BOOST as mere “Black,” the shoe closely resembles past “Triple Black” footwear releases.

Seen both off- and on-feet, the classic YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 silhouette retains the sleek shape fans have come to know and love. The textured midsole, laces, sockliner and Primeknit upper — complete with translucent panel — are all wrapped in shades of black, emphasizing silhouette over detailing. Red stitching on the rear pull-tab is the sole pop of color across the model, with directional weaving on the upper and laces granting the shoe intrinsic texture.

adidas’ site states that the YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 “Triple Black” will launch on June 7 for $220 USD.

Keeping in line with the psychedelic vibes of the “Chemical Vision” Oakley collab, size? keeps the summer vibes coming with a pair of eye-popping Vans Era. The collaborative “Warped Check” kicks sport a twisted take on the Californian footwear giant’s classic checkerboard pattern alongside pastel-tinged tones.

“Think Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Beatles and Stones,” size? wrote in a blog post explaining the design’s inspiration. “The vibrant energy of their music flows heavily throughout the Era, whose striking palettes contrast vary shoe to shoe.” Indeed, the asymmetric left and right shoes offer different tones of canvas on the toebox and heel, with the left sporting pink and the right offering pale blue. These are interrupted by a warped check pattern on the midsole and middle panel of the upper, further contrasted against a neon yellow outsole, license plate branding and upper flag tag.

Expect the collaborative Vans Era “Warped” to hit size?’s website on June 7 for £57 EUR (approximately $65 USD).

Ahead of a big summer full of sneaker drops, we recently received official imagery of Kanye West and adidas‘ upcoming YEEZY BOOST 700 V2 “Tephra” colorway. The muted palette gives West’s revamped YEEZY BOOST 700 an appropriately versatile makeover.

This time around, the chunky running model features a grey mesh upper base accented by contrasting dark grey and beige suede overlays. As usual, the additional decorative detailing on the upper comes in the form of dynamic reflective 3M midfoot branding stripes and hits at the heel that work in unison with the limited perforations around the heel counter. Finishing up the design is a BOOST-assisted dark grey midsole with sculpted pod designs paired with a gum rubber outsole.

Priced at $300 USD, the adidas YEEZY BOOST 700 V2 “Tephra” is set to release on yeezysupply.com and at select adidas retailers June 15.

After receiving a treated leather makeover, the Air Jordan 1 has received “First Class Flight” treatment. Shot by sneaker leak expert @hanzuyung, the classic basketball sneaker sports a variety of playful graphic accents inspired by luxury air travel.

Offering a clean white leather upper, yellow accents allow the outsole, ankle, tongue tag and medial side Swoosh to gently pop against the neutral tones, recalling sleek airfare tickets. Furthering the motif, thematic graphics appear around the shoe — on the heel, a black barcode adds strong contrast, with the nearby “23” shrouded inside a recycling-inspired triangle. Below the ankle opening, a yellow panel is emblazoned with more aesthetically-appropriate imagery, including “FIRST CLASS FLIGHT” verbiage and Michael Jordan-referencing initials.

Expect the AJ1 “First Class Flight” to take wing in July via Nike’s site and Jordan Brand stockists for $160 USD.