sneakers. culture. life.: 16: Haze

10.15.2010 - In the early 2000's when the sneaker craze really began to pick up mainstream steam, Nike began to expand their design by doing collaboration projects (or collabs, for short) with various artists, designers, clothing companies, etc. Different from the "packs" they normally created, collabs were more of a certain designer's take on one of Nike's already popular shoes.

Collabs came in all shapes and sizes. Musicians like Eminem and Pharell collaborated with Nike on Air Max Bursts and Nike Dunks, respectively, for a charity project. ?uestlove and Jay-Z collaborated with Nike on Air Force Ones. Clothing companies Stussy, Zoo York and Supreme have several popular collabs with Nike on Blazers, Bruins, Dunks and other shoes. Boutique shops like HUF and Undefeated have been blessed with extremely limited edition collabs. Popular graffiti artists Futura and Espo have also gotten collabs in the past.

The interesting thing about a collab project is that it could attract someone to a shoe for different reasons than a general release. If you like the artist or want to support the charity, you might buy the shoe for that reason. Others may be attracted to the unique colors and materials used on collabs -the HUF Highs feature a tie-dye swoosh box, the Espo's are completely clear, the Pharell's used faux eel skin. Often enough, if you are into the hip-hop, underground art, streetwear, sneaker collecting, etc. etc. scene, you'd likely find multiple reasons to go on the hunt after a certain collab.

*Like*

One of my favorite collabs of all time has been the Haze Dunk. A collaboration with graffiti artist, Eric Haze, two versions of the two Dunks were released. So, not only are there a High and Low version of the Haze Dunk, but there are also more limited edition versions that come with a special box that are signed by the man himself.

Being a broke college student, I couldn't justify spending the extra $250+ for the same shoe just with a different box, though it would have been a sweet collectors item. I figure I could get at least one more pair with that money, so my regular boutique release versions were just fine.

Nike Dunk Low Premium - White/Black -Medium Grey ["Haze"]

+ Gap Long Sleeve + Levi's 514 Premium

+ Large Neapolitan Shake + Small Rootbeer

I often wonder, if given the opportunity, how would I design my own Nike collab? Would it be something outside the box? Or maybe something simple and classic? Hopefully before it's all said and done, I would have worked my way into a position where I get to make that difficult decision.

{currently in the speakers: Good Friday - Kanye West}

*Bonus Section*