Monday, October 29, 2012

Nike and OHSU DOERNBECHER CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL 2012 Freestyle series


Nike and Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children’s Hospital are proud to unveil the 2012 Doernbecher Freestyle Collection, a unique collaboration that empowers patients through design to benefit the hospital.

Each year, the now ninth annual Doernbecher Freestyle Project partners Nike designers and developers with OHSU Doernbecher patients who have battled serious illness to create a shoe that is unique to each patient. The kids, however, are the real designers for the Project — they decide the colors, materials and details for each shoe to reflect their individual stories and personalities.

The Limited Edition Doernbecher Collection shoes will be sold at www.nike.com and at Nike retail locations across the country beginning Nov. 30 with all proceeds from sales of the shoes benefitting OHSU Doernbecher. To date, the program has raised more than $4 million.

The partnership between Nike and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Ore., began in 2004 and was inspired by a conversation that Nike Global Creative Presentation Director Michael Doherty, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Doernbecher Foundation, had with his then-teenage son about a creative way to raise awareness and funds for the hospital.


Doernbecher Nike Dunk Hi SB


Finnigan Mooney (10) was born with Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He’s toughed out more than 13 heart surgeries during his life, but his positive attitude and infectious sense of humor have remained unscathed. In addition to making new friends, he loves playing basketball, jumping on his trampoline, and perfecting his killer golf game.  Finnigan’s design is representative of his sunny personality and smile, with an in-your-face yellow upper emblazoned with “THUMP THUMP” to pay homage to his unstoppable heart. The Nike swoosh is affixed with medical stitches to symbolize the stitches from his surgeries. His actual thumbprint appears on the outsole of the shoe—a nod to how Finnigan would always give his parents a thumbs-up when he came out of surgery. And paying tribute to his Irish heritage, Finnigan also included a shamrock on the tongue.




Women's Nike Free Run+ 2 DB


Kylie Bell (16) is recovering from a brain tumor. It may have kept this young dancer off the floor for a while, but not for long. Her passion for performance found her back in action a mere two weeks after surgery.  Kylie’s design includes lace panels that are exactly like the lace on one of Kylie’s favorite shirts. She chose a bird, representing freedom, to be featured on the tongue. The shoelaces and the inside of the shoe also feature the word “freedom” as well as “strength.” Kylie’s signature graces the sockliner and her favorite color, berry, makes the shoe worthy of center stage.




Nike Air Force I DB


Last January, Chad Berg (15) took a spill in his kayak and spent 90 minutes in the icy water. By the time he was rescued, he was in full cardiac arrest with no pulse and an internal temperature of 73 degrees. Essentially, he was lifeless. After nearly three hours of CPR, the medical team transferred Chad to Doernbecher and put him on a machine that could do the work for his heart and lungs while he recovered. Incredibly, he was back in action within two weeks with no neurological damage at all. Chad’s Air Force 1 design features green accents to pay tribute to his favorite collegiate team (the UO Ducks), carbon fiber panels, a glow-in-the-dark outsole, and his favorite saying on the sockliner: “The people who turn out the best are those people who make the best out of the way things turn out.”




Women's Air Max 90 DB


Autumn Boynton (10) was diagnosed with kidney cancer in the spring of 2005, with bi-lateral Wilms’ tumors in her kidneys and abdomen. When the cancer spread too much to save her kidneys, Autumn underwent emergency surgery to remove both of them. After 3.5 years of regular dialysis, her dad was able to give her a kidney, exactly four years to the date she was first diagnosed. Autumn’s design features black and pink--her favorite colors. Autumn wants to be a rock star when she grows up, so she made sure the shoe’s upper design was covered with stars and peace signs. The finishing touches are sparkles on the Swoosh and bubbles on the shoelaces to match her personality.




Air Jordan 9 Retro DB


Last December, after a series of fainting spells, Oswaldo Jimenez (11) was given a life-changing diagnosis: severe pulmonary hypertension. The once very active boy now has to be cautious with the amount of energy he exerts. Oswaldo is very close to his family, and drew inspiration for his shoe from his Mexican heritage. “Pollito,” which means little chicken, is Oswaldo’s nickname. It’s lasered in a feather pattern on the sockliner and also featured on the tongue. His favorite number, 17, is on the back heel. Oswaldo’s birthday, September 13, is on the inside of the tongue. Finally, the red and green outsole pays homage to his hometown of Queretaro, Mexico.




Men's Nike Free Run+ 2 DB


When Grant Olsen (11) was six years old, his mom and dad found a lump in his neck that turned out to be acute lymphoblastic leukemia. These days Grant is feeling much better and is back to playing sports and practicing his electric guitar. Grant’s design includes his personal logo on the tongue that features a lizard (one of his favorite animals), an electric guitar, his initials and the words “Do not fear or be dismayed.” Grant has earned straight A’s in school for as long as he can remember, and his favorite vacation spot is Hawaii. So his Nike design advisor asked a friend, who happened to be vacationing in Hawaii, to take a photo of an A+ written in the sand on a beach, which appears on the sock liner. Grant’s love of outer space is also highlighted on his shoe with the glow-in-the-dark space speckles. Grant’s inspiration for the colors of his shoe come from a photo of an exotic bird he saw in a design book.




For more information about OHSU Doernbecher, visit  www.ohsu.edu/Doernbecher.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Nike Kobe 8? Say it ain't so...

So these are what the new Nike Kobe 8 supposed to look like...??!!! YAMA HAMA! I hope no one buys them, but I'll probably end up with a pair. The sad thing is how these Kobe sneakers nut suckers are justifying how ugly these look as game changers and will be a great performance shoe. Well $#!?, all the Kobe signature shoes are great performance shoes, they were built for high level professional basketball. not just for rec league dudes. But at the same time, for any sneakers to sell, aside for making them limited, aesthetically, they have to look somewhat decent when worn with Jeans or cargo shorts. Maybe these will look good eventually, but from the following colorways, I for one won't be making that day after Christmas trip to purchase them.


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Nike Unveils The KD V, Kevin Durant'S Fifth/5th Nike Basketball Shoe


Ahh...October, post season baseball, the start of a new NBA season, falling leaves, weather turning mildly cooler and of course the unveiling of signature basketball sneakers by Nike. We saw the LeBron X at the beginning of the month, now the KD V, just waiting on the Kobe 8 and the set is complete. Of all three signature kicks, KD's kicks has been somewhat normal, they don't have any inspiration from DIAMONDS, they don't have any marketing 'SYSTEM' or interchangeable booty, they are just old school basketball shoes but made lighter and more durable says Nike. 

Supposedly designed with premium materials and incorporating Nike performance technologies in the Hyperfuse upper construction (molded plastic) and Zoom Air cushioning system in the forefoot and heel, the KD V represents the evolution of Kevin Durant and his style smooth and fluid style of play.   

The four main technological points of the KD V are: 
1) Nike Zoom unit in the forefoot.
2) Nike Air unit in the heel.
3) Unibody Hyperfuse upper construction for superior fit. 
4) External heel counter to allow the foot to move while still providing support.

So what does all of that mean? Well it means that this version of the KD V is basically a smoother version of the Nike Hyperfuse with Nike Max Air on the heel. In addition, like most recent Nike basketball shoes, there's a hidden story to tell and help sell. It revolves around the number FIVE, five players makes a team in a basketball game, five sides of a pentagon – a Washington D.C. landmark, five corners of a star, and Durant’s fifth Nike signature shoe. You can find all these things that are related to KD in someway all over the shoes, from the shoe’s outsole pattern, midsole texture, tongue quilting with V’s, and heel counter details.

Now, if you need a dumb down version of what I just explained, let me know.

The Maryland state flag inspires the color combination on the shoe’s Bright Crimson colorway – with the flag’s red, yellow and black remixed in bright and light tones – a fitting tribute to Durant’s home state.

The KD V launches globally on NIKEiD on November 6, then is fully available beginning December 8 in both the Bright Crimson colorway and Black/blue colorway.









Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Sneakersnstuff X Wood Wood X adidas Originals Consortium Women's Collection

The ladies are finally getting some special collaboration treatments, at least in Europe anyways where Sneakersnstuff once again collaborated with adidas Originals on a special Consortium project in the Sneakersnstuff x adidas ZX 700 that will launch December 1st. Along with that there's also the  Sneakersnstuff and Wood Wood, adidas Gazelle Vintage and a Basket Profi from adidas Originals. All for the ladies and all will be dropping December 1 2012. Just in time to kick off your holiday shopping.














CONSORTIUM ADIDAS ORIGINALS X UNDFTD X BAPE

If by now, you've never heard of BAPE and UNDFTD, then you should just stop reading this and go back to Pennsylvania and live your amish life. For those in the know, then you know that these two brands are the pinnacle of streetwear in the U.S and Japan. To have them collaborate with adidas Originals in three limited edition Consortium shoes just takes the cake. The adidas ZX 5000, the Campus 80s and the Stan Smith will be coming our way beginning December 1, 2012 in LIMITED fashion of course and will features premium super soft leather and suede, BAPE’s signature camouflage print, and the UNDFTD branding in gold letterings. The ZX 5000 will be available for $150 USD while the Campus 80s and Stan Smith are available for $130 USD. Images via Kithnyc












Nike Basketball and Sportswear features LeBron X: Cork

Nike's investments in the self-proclaimed "CHOSEN ONE" finally paid off. Now that King James finally got his bling, Nike can start selling him more towards the fashion side of the brand in Nike Sportswear. We've seen previous Nike Sportswear entry for Bron the past few years, but they are limited to a destroyer jacket, and a couple of T-shirts. Now that Bron2 is THE CHAMP, Nike can start rolling out more fashion friendly LeBron collection that will hopefully help erase his bad-guy image from The Decision.

This version of the Nike LeBron X took it's inspiration from a cork of a champagne bottle that are commonly used for celebration. Nike Sportswear brings a sophisticated edge to the shoe with premium materials and fabrication intended for off-court use.

This LEBRON X NSW cork edition marks the first of multiple Nike Sportswear versions of Nike signature basketball shoes, all remixed with premium materials for non-performance use.

The Nike Sportswear LEBRON X cork shoe launches globally in December in limited quantities.