KWest x LVuitton = finally

Season after season, hip-hop superstar Kanye West is front row at the Vuitton show. He calls himself the "Louis Vuitton don" as he's an avid walking mannequin for the label, giving them free publicity 24/7 and receiving nothing in return other than a hefty receipt (he can handle it). Things have changed as Kanye has finally taken his love for design and fashion and made something of it; fortunately enough with the most dominating fashion house in the world (I think that's pretty safe to say). A single style from the KWxLV collab debuted during Paris fashion week, on the runway for Louis Vuittons menswear show yesterday. The collab features several designs, including a simple white boat shoe embossed with the signature LV logo debuted earlier this month (shown below). The style featured in the show (calfskin - red, black)will be hitting Vuitton stores in June 2009. What do we think? The red ones tickle my fancy. Though I thought Kanye would design with a colour explosion in mind, the sneakers are tasteful and classic appealing to...everyone. P.S. Marc Jacobs in a skirt paired with Stephen Sprouse tribute leggings = priceless.





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Reebok "Voltron Pack" has finally landed - in YWG anyways...

Inspiration is a crazy concept - literally, anything can be inspirational. Maybe even a 1980's anitmated television series called "Voltron: Defender Of The Universe"...? Yeah - Reebok's "Voltron Pack" has finally becomes accessible to the sneaker freaks in Winnipeg. I've been reading all about them, and these bad boys are the talk of the blogs - reason being cause they are SO fresh. The concept of taking a mecha robot and breaking down its 5 components into 5 different sneakers - like a task force = brilliant. It's almost like you need to own all 5 pairs of te Voltron Pack to be complete (smart marketing move also...) I've never actually seen the show as I was just being born as it was on the air - but those of you better be familiar with the Power Rangers and how each of their special animal battle machines (zords) came together to become an Ultrazord - same concept. The Voltron sneaks are actually not pricey considering all the hype - you'd just auto assume it would be rare. Nike made a Transformers type sneak with thei Air Trainer III's - guess robots with sick colours are the new craze?...






p.s. for the Winnipeggers - Uncle Bob's is have a VOLTRON Release Party Friday June 13th - I must and will be there - hitup facebook for the details

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Prada Linea Rossa Hi-top makes me puke

Soo, when I think PRADA - I think expensive, stylish, luxury. The men's division isn't as well-known to the world as the women's, and this is probably the reason. The Prada Linea Rossa Hi-top Bike Sneakers are one of a kind...yuck. First of all, they look cheap. Of course, they are made with top quality Italian patent leather and mesh insets, blah blah blah - that's fine, but if you're gonna go all out on quality and charge $380 a pair, WOW me. They remind me of like elderly style shoes, minus the velcro. Colour scheme - way off, but it's really because of the shape. It's an awkward shape - they seem very uncomfortable if your wore them. AND they are for biking?... I'm confused - I guess this particular shoe is for the tasteless rich. The red stripe coming down the tongue says "PRADA" but does nothing but show the brand - and not in a good way. The low-tops are a BIT better, but still - yuck. There are many different models of the Linea Rossa - same design but different colours and materials used. Leopard print?...YIKES! Disappointing much?

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Puma by Mihara MY-34: crazy inspiration

Japanese shoe designer Yasushiro Mihara has yet again brought fresh, innovative designs to the Puma label. Now in it's 9th season, the collaboration Puma by Mihara does not seem to be holding back. The MY-34 model is pretty fresh: relatively classic puma style sneak, but with Mihara's creative twist. The velcro straps are my favourite part, how they go from silver, silver/white, to white which is cohesive the the rest of the sneak; silver leather coming from the back to an all white rubber outer sole split by the puma signature in suede. Mihara's take on the sneak did not take away at all from Puma's sporty aesthetic; if anything, it's more sporty. His inspiration behind the entire Spring/Summer 2008 collection is mutants/nature/environment: how we as humans are destroying the planet and are adapting to the negative changes and changing ourselves (becoming mutants...). As crazy as that seems, it's quite optimistic and worked in the end (inspiration is crazy in itself..no?) DEF need to check out the rest of Mihara's designs - they are just as sick as this. $154.00 isn't even that bad considering it's a collaboration with one of Japan's best shoe designers. I'd cop. Mihara actually has his own established line of shoes which was started in 1997, 3 years prior to the colab. with Puma called "Mihara Yasushiro" - It's necessary I dig and see what he's hiding in Japan.

Serious A.I.'s - and not talking about Iverson

While on my adventures in Toronto, I stopped by Holt where i discovered crazy sneaks by New york based shoemaker Alejandro Ingelmo. They were right beside the blue satin Lanvin hi-tops, but my attention was quickly drawn to Ingelmo's creations. First off: colour - this rich plum colour is so nice. I've never seen it on shoes before and to make the plum leather a mirrored metallic patent really makes it something else. The black edges (mirrored detailed piping) and top stitching have an edgy wave style design which is pretty fresh and you can tell that's quality craftsmanship at its finest (better be since he's a shoemaker). The black laces match perfectly and are in sync. I'm a sucker for the silver - these bad boys are packin some heat. The low-top blues are tight - but personally, I go HIGH or go HOME. This shoemaker is quickly making a name for himself worldwide. The hi's are tagged at $485US and the low's are $50 cheaper. I think they are worth the cop. All of a sudden I'm in the mood for plums...

K-Swiss X J-Swede

Reputable sportswear brand K-Swiss collaborated with young Swedish designer Julia Hederus for a small sneaker project. They came up with , what i'd call, the "Hederus for K-Swiss Cubes+Blocks Sneakers". 3 different sneaks were designed. For the high version, taking the Classic Original which we all know and love (not all of us love), Hederus came up with a very futuristic, innovative concept of velcro-backed building blocks - i figured they were like puzzle pieces - that you can add/remove according to your taste. That's pretty tight - you can move them around, take them on/off to change up the look a little bit. Hopefully they don't get lost/fall off post-clubbin all night. The low, blocks version, 2 block-inspired straps cover the laces. The low cubed version, which looks most like the Classic Original, is....kinda...ugly. It's a cool concept, but know when to stop - there's too much cubic nonsense around the laces. If anything, do the cubic nonsense on the ENTIRE sneak - now THAT would be poppin. So far to cop, only peeped them online at oki-ni.com - highs $250US, low blocks $170US, low cubes $190US. What a way for a young designer to get their name onto the world scene - props.

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Gucci, Gucci, and more Gucci

Ummmmmm how steezy are these low-top red/white Gucci's? (Is the proper term "low-tops" or "lows" or....? whatever) I really really like these, caught my eye as soon as I started browsing. Nice black laces clean it up a bit, give it more of a reserved feel, even though they're pretty OUT there. Quality italian red leather on the upper half - very tasteful. Best part is the red/white woven design on the shell coming towards the back - so sick, and verry different. BIG Gucci interlocking emblem in red on the heel takes these suckas up a notch. Not bad for a $475 tag.

Lemme tell you - these are delissio; yes, like the pizza. The colour on the other hand, leaves a sour/bitter taste in my mouth. Navy blue, blue and green - meh - but the hint of red really makes a difference, and not in a good way. If you can't see, the blue's and green are snakeskin - wuddup - which makes up for the colour palette; a little. The laces are tight, with "GUCCI" written on the front, perfectly centered. BUUTTT, since these don't have a side zipper, the laces wouldn't stay straight and perfect, therefore pissing me off = flaw #2. Annnd, they look like bball kicks = flaw #3. Interlocking Gucci emblem - always a nice touch, and I like how it's BIG, but it aint bold because it fades in with the ugly navy. $1290?..hmmm -not for sneaks with mad issues - I guess they're not so delissio after all....

#3 are just under 5 bills - but who the hell cares. Can't put a price on your style; Well, you can.....but.....these are an exception. Pretty basic HI-top sneak. Extra details are what make the tears come about. Racing stripe up/down the outer side in orange and blue - lovin it. White leather trim - basic but fresh. Red trim on the rubber sole is a tasty touch. White Gucci "GG" monogram AND the unoticeable interlocking Gucci emblem on the heel will def let people know what you're rockin. I'd cop these in a sec. hittem up at gucci.com

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