Vans rider Gilbert Crockett’s words above describe the latest addition to the Vans Core lineup

Vans rider Gilbert Crockett’s words above describe the latest addition to the Vans Core lineup, a new model with familiar styling but one fairly significant departure from Off the Wall’s traditional build. The Vans Pacquard finds itself somewhere between the Chukka Low and the Zero lowtops with formal-leaning styling highlighted by the leather laces. Longtime OTW devotees will immediately sense something’s amiss with these, but be assured that the redesigned waffle sole on this fresh look was intended to improve performance without compromizing the brand’s signature look. Check out three new pairs after the jump and look for these now at select Vans retailers. via FNG
 

In 2003, Kobe Bryant was officially added to the exclus5e bunch of Nike signature athletes, joining the likes of Michael Free Run, Anfeee Hardaway, Charles Barkley, and more. The addition of Kobe, alongside the new acquisition of prep-to-pro prospect LeBron James, would mark a brand new era of Nike Basketball, one that has fortified Nike’s role as the piacle of performance basketball outfitting. It was in 2006 when a Nike shoe would officially bear Kobe Nike Free Run 3.0 Bryant’s name, but it was originally Nike LunarEclipse the Nike Zoom Huarache 2k4 that was set to be the starting point to a long-lasting partnership; following the Zoom Huarache 2k4 was the 2k5 version, which paved the way for Kobe’s official introduction as a Nike signature athlete in 2006 with the release of the Air Zoom Kobe 1.

Since that ’06 debut, we’ve seen Nike accomplish hat it had set out to do when it first brought on the Lakers superstar; s6.0 more installments as well as the Nike Zoom Hyperdunk (another ‘unofficial’ Kobe shoe), with the game-changing Kobe System setting new precedents in basketball footwear and design. So by our count, it’s ten shoes for Kobe thus far, and there’s no end in sight just yet. It’s not often we get to see all ten shoes bunched together, but thanks to wmsky of Kenlu, we’re g5en a nice side-by-side comparison of the Kobe V, VI, and V2 as well as a unique look at original vs. current Kobe model. Check out some of the nice visuals after the jump and let us know which Nike Kobe shoe is your favorite of all-time.

On the surface this is just another Nike Air Max 95 right? Well you could look at it that way, but once you put it in some context the sneaker actually carries a few clues about some recent design trends coming from Beaverton. First there’s the move towards these more solidly blocked colorways on this particular bubble bottomed shoe, which we’ve seen in a bevy of different combos over recent months. Then there’s the accent color of choice: neptune blue, a tone that has been trickling into the conscious of sneakerheads since it popped up on the Nike LeBron 9 ‘China’. Put those Nike Free Trainer 3.0 two elements together and you’ve got a spring release that puts a particularly fresh spin on the stealthy look. These will be hitting the US in March, but we’ve spotted some pairs up at Caliroots for you now if you just can’t wait, so hit them up after you peep the pictures after the jump.

Nike Air Max 95
Stealth/Stealth-White-Neptune Blue
609048-055

The Nike Hyperdunk and Hyperfuse 2011 flagship models have been keeping the Nike Basketball news-wire buzzing, but we should take notice of the Nike Lunarflow Hypergamer the first Lunar-cushioned Nike Basketball shoe. The Lunarflow Hypergamer features a considerably thicker LunarLon cushioning unit that should be able to withstand the harder ground-striking that occurs from jumping around, and the full rubber outsole should provide the necessary traction required for ruing and guing up and the court (and let’s not forget the benefits of a Hyperfuse upper). This sample colorway of the Lunarflow Hypergamer, brought to us by RegularOlTy, features a neon green footbed and swoosh with what appears to be camouflage print on the upper, which we might consider futile considering the amount of attention one will gaer when wearing these. Check out the extra shot below and let us know what you think.