American label Andriod Homme has been crafting sneakers with an out-of-this-world look long before Nike announced they would be giving Lebron, Kobe, and Kevin Durant their own special edition NASA-inspired shoes for the NBA All Star Game later this month. This time around, Android Homme has paired up with Singapore-based Limited Edt to build a set of futuristic kicks that feature a metallic leather finish on top of a black velvet upper, each topped off with a metal dog tag marking its place as one of the 72 pairs to be made. Arriving in either a blue or red colorway, each pair features a hieroglyphic design on the ankle along with a matching translucent sole that gives each pair its own unique tone. While they aren’t for everyone, those who want to pick up a set will have to move quickly when these Propulsion Hi’s hit Limited Edt’s stores exclusively this March. via: streetthing

“Out of this world raucous” would be a perfect description for Cole Haan‘s LunarGrand Wingtip launch event last night. As the vivacious DJ Chelsea Leyland spun the evening through, dancers wearing full on lighted tracksuits showcased the LunarGrand’s innovative flexible Lunarlon sole. Not only as a presentation to this new design’s unique benefits, the party also marked the official start of New York Fashion Week. And for those still looking for that perfect dress shoe with a hint of flair, look no further than Cole Haan SoHo flagship store, where the LunarGrand will be exclusively available starting today.

Cole Haan SoHo
128 Prince Street | Map
New York, NY 10012
TEL #: 212-219-8240

Photos: David X. Prutting/BFA-NYC || Additional Photos: John Kim

Encino’s Primitive has taken delivery of a trio of new styles from Gourmet as part of the brand’s Spring 2012 collection. First up is the Novel L in an attractively understated Wheat/Papyrus colorway, featuring a seven-eyelet silhouette with tumbled full-grain leather upper and double-sided elastic goring, plus hook and loop ankle strap for a secure fit. The Quadici L in Hunter/Papyrus is the classic duck boot redux, with Napa leather sharing space with molded rubber on the upper, and an air bubble cushioned midsole underneath. Rounding out the release is the 21 in Black/Papyrus, a truer duck boot sharing many of the same details as the Quadici L, though the 21 carries vegetable tanned leather laces on the upper with leather laces. Find all three styles in stock now at Primitive.

Primitive 
17060 Ventura Blvd | Map
Encino, CA 91316
TEL #: 818-479-7171

The ongoing collaborative series between Ransom and adidas Originals has borne some impressive results, none more so than this reworking of the low-profile Pier sneaker. Taking inspiration from the traditional espadrille design, the shoe features a lightweight cotton canvas upper in monochromatic springtime colors and a distinctive woven rope midsole. Available in red, tan or blue colorways, the Pier is sure to become your go-to pair once beach weather returns. Click through for additional looks, as well as the latest video short from Ransom’s Spring 2012 collection, this one captured in scenic Panama.

Beams Plus is famous for its ability to take the best of Americana, from workwear to military to preppy Ivy-League style, and reinterpret it under the “Made in Japan” banner, which automatically calls to mind premium materials and construction. A perfect example is this Beams Plus Penny Deck Loafer, a hybrid model that blends a traditional penny loafer silhouette with the casual comfort of a canvas slip-on sneaker. Features include a cotton canvas upper sitting on a siped sole, plus hunter camo design to lend a bit of street-ready attitude. The Beams Plus Penny Deck Loafer is in stock now at End Clothing.

End Clothing
4-6 High Bridge | Map
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 1EN, England

In addition to becoming the next creative director for American heritage label Filson, designer Richard Chai will also take a collaborative role in creating a capsule collection with footwear maker Palladium. Fashioned from Palladium Pampa Hi and Pampa Tactical, signature editions with roots back when Palladium was the supplier for French Foreign Legion. Each appointed with premium fabrics, such as felted wool and corduroy, thus inline with Chai’s “urban nomad” design theme for his Fall/Winter 2012 Collection. Both are set to be available in October 2012 but will be seen on the runway tomorrow, February 9th, as Chai presents his collection for New York Fashion Week.

Mademoiselle Yulia‘s 2011 electro-pop anthem “Gimme Gimme” is not only a catchy musical observation on consumerism. It is also a declaration of modern female empowerment, through rapid succession of wants in life where just decades ago would not be conceivable, at least for a girl. While Mademoiselle Yulia will not acquire the majority of desirable listed on her very stylize wishlist (at least for now), the talented Japanese entertainer and trend setter will most likely have an endless supply of her favorite jaunty outfits and shoes, courtesy of her good friend, the indomitable fashion designer Jeremy Scott. In the most recently photoshoot session for adidas Originals by Jeremy Scott, Mademoiselle Yulia took part in creating her own signature look as well as a brief glimpse into Spring/Summer 2012 Collection. In the meantime, some of the items are now available at select adidas Originals retail locations around the globe.

Scheduled to preview at various snow sport trade shows around the world, the Pirelli Pzero x Burton Snowboard Limited Edition is the most recent venture for both fashion label and snowboard label. A first for Pirelli Pzero, the fashion branch of tire industry titan Pirelli, the collaboration for Winter 2012 – 2013 consists a complete package of board, bindings, and a pair of 2013 Burton Ion Boots, the focal point of the collection. By utilizing Pirelli’s experience on creation of tires, the company formulated a specific rubber compound made for the demands of snowboarding. Burton then added the compound into the outsole of Ion Boots, thus made a performance driven yet extremely comfortable footwear. In addition, the Ion Boots will include special tread patterns designed for superior traction, another feature thanks to Pirelli’s extensive work on snow tires.

Aside from the Burton Ion Boots, this limited collection will encompass a Burton Mystery snowboard, each custom made to be the lightest on Burton product portfolio. Rounding off the pack is the Pirelli Burton Diode EST bindings, which is again the lightest among its peers thanks to its cutting edge construction. All will feature yellow-gold pinstripes and accents on polished black backdrop, in reference to the motorsports world of the 1970s era. Set to be available Pirelli Corso Venezia in Milan this coming August along with select Burton retail locations around the world.

Pirelli Corso Venezia
Corso Venezia, 1 | Map
20121 Milano, Italy

Release Date: Early August 2012

Courtesty of Geoff Hollister & The Oregonian

Often called “Nike’s Employee #3″, Geoff Hollister passed away yesterday, just three days after his 66th birthday, after a long battle with cancer. The Oregon native was born on February 3rd, 1946 and was an Oregonian in every sense of the term. After graduating from South Eugene High School in 1964, Hollister went on to University of Oregon, where he ran under the tutelage of track & field coach Bill Bowerman. To optimize his runner’s performance, Bowerman often asked Hollister to run in his prototype footwear. Not long afterwards, Phil Knight offered Hollister a job at his start-up with Bowerman, Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS), then a distributor for Japan’s Tiger sneakers. After opening BRS West, the company’s first retail store, Hollister became ever more involved when BRS spun off a sub-label from Tiger in 1972. That new entity was Nike.

Thanks to Hollister’s intuitions as a runner and business acumen, Nike thrived in the then largely ignored running community. Seeing a need to develop next generation of track & field stars after a dismal showing in the 1976 Summer Olympics at Montreal, Hollister organized Athletics West, a sponsored program for athletes and coaches alike. His ability to think outside of the box helped to create innovative product like the Nike Aqua Socks. And when cumbersome track jackets weigh down Nike athletes, Hollister introduced the lightweight Nike Windrunner Jacket and its iconic 26-degree chevron design. During his later years at Nike, Hollister helped to secure the brand with a Swoosh a place in youth track & field programs across the U.S. When Bill Bowerman passed away in 1999, Hollister developed the Bowerman Project in honor of his former coach and mentor.

Geoff Hollister is survived his wife Wendy, who still works at Nike, 2 children from a previous marriage, his son Tracy, daughter Kaili, several grand children, as well as two younger sisters. Not to mention, the thousands who benefited from his programs and products

They are of different genders, races, religions, sports, interests, ages, even nations. Yet, they are connected by one reason – cancer. While grim, their shared afflictions, struggles, and grievances also gave them a collected strength and resolve to see the end of the disease. In bring hopes to the other 28 million cancer survivors and their love ones, Nike announced Team LIVESTRONG. Along with seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, a group of world class athletes, each affected by the disease directly or indirectly, will join the fight in education, prevention, and research for a cure. You too can be a part of the movement, simply show your support or share your story via Twitter at @NIKELIVESTRONG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nikelivestrong. With the current advancement in treatments, a diagnosis is no longer the end but the beginning.

Usually when the fragment design stamp pops up in the footwear realm it’s on a pair of Swoosh’d out sneakers. Delving a bit deeper into the lifestyle category this time, they get together with uniform experiment and Clarks Originals to crank out two colorways of the crepe-soled classic Wallabee. The beloved silhouette is intact as is the squishy crepe bottom, paired with a suede upper in navy and tan on the two shoes, respectively. The collabo comes through on the alternating logo hits on the heels, with fragment design on the right shoe and uniform experiment on the left. Hit the jump for the full look at both pairs of this upcoming pack, which will be hitting for ¥26,250 at retail.

The North Face Back To Berkeley boots have returned for the new year in two eye-catching colorways. Both of these boots look to have been toned down without the use of HydroSeal waterproofing; instead, it seems the uppers are constructed from a combination of waterproofed suede and nubuck materials. Although the yellow/black version is most likely not inspired by The Wu-Tang Clan, sneakerheads might have a hard time seeing it in another light. There is the monochromatic version available as well–accented by a dash of yellow on the heel and the outsoles. Details of the release are scarce, but inquire with your local The North Face dealers to check on availability. via: BKRW