Louis Vuitton x Kanye West Sneaker - Sneak Peak

"Everybody's got an addiction, mine is shoes. It started with my very first pair of Kangaroos. And to L it see, made for tennis I play none of it, but I owned em' in brown and black and suede, but that was hardly the beginnin of my obscene spendin" - Lexicon "Nikehead".

The tennis shoe fetish has long been a part of the hip hop community - whether we're talking about Run-DMC or Lexicon - tennis shoes have been an obsession of many rap artist. My obsession had me running home everyday after school, reaching for my sneaker kit - a shoe box in pristine condition containing a bottle of 1. Rubbing Alcohol 2. Windex 3. A hand towel 4. Clean Shoe Laces - Keeping the sneaks clean was a must.

Louis Vuitton has teamed up with the "Imelda Marcos" of the tennis shoe game - The Louie Vuitton Don himself, Mr. Kanye West. Kanye designed a line of 5 shoes for the French fashion house, with oversight from their chief designer Marc Jacobs. The red shoe design below was the only one that made the cut for the show.

“The inspiration came from a jacket with a huge collar in the movie ‘Dune,’ ” West says. “Most sneakers focus on the tongue, so I wanted to do something different.” West knows whereof he speaks: he says he has no idea how many shoes he owns, but he does know that he routinely needs to send shipments off to storage.

Be on the look out for the LV-KW shoe which is reported to hit stores in June. Start saving now - these bad boys will put you back 5-hundo ($500). Checkout the rest of the colorways below...

(Mister West w the man himself, Marc Jacobs)

Source: The Moment

Yohji Yamamoto's Adidas Y-3 Fall Winter '08 Collection

One of my favorite brands out there is Adidas' high end line by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamato, Y-3. Each season's Y-3 collection continues pushing the brand's sportswear meets high fashion concept and the Fall / Winter 2008 pieces are definitely in line with this aesthetic. This stuff definitely has a "what if the olympics took place in a distopian future" sort of vibe to it:

Hoodie with transforming hidden hood in the collar a la 80s Nike windbreakers:


High fashion bubble vest when you want to go train like Rocky, except in style:


And now, to Y-3's bread and butter, shoes. These ones here seem to take the brand in a new direction with a hardcore asskickin'-boot look:


And some simple yet modern sneakers and denim that are more in line with what we've come to expect from Y-3:


** Available now at Oak NYC

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Dior Homme Lumiere du Nord Collection

I'm sure this stuff costs enough to warrant a career in narcotics trafficking, but regardless it's a ridiculously cool line. The pieces shown here are part of Dior Homme's Lumiere du Nord collection - a line of men's accessories, boots and sneakers. The high tech sneaker above is what caught my eye, but upon closer inspection the entire line of bags are the best part of the collection:

I'm going through this crazy patent leather kick right now so I might be partial to this stuff. Would love to see a touch of white or silver on these, but I guess the solid black is what keeps these away from falling into Yohji Yamamoto's Y-3 arena. Oh, and by the way, if you want to be the coolest kid in the school bus, make sure you rock this backpack!:

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Nike's Air Zoom Talache Low "Rock 'n Roll" pack

These here bad boys are called the Air Zoom Talache Lows. I'm not usually a Nike fan but these shoes are pretty unique compared to most of the brand's other designs. What really sets them apart though is this awesome colorway called the "Rock 'n Roll" pack. The black on black thing is awesome on these, while the white sole adds just enough flare.

While the Talache's have a simple aesthetic that may make you think they're a pretty low tech day to day trainer, they actually are quite the opposite. They incorporate structural elements from the Air Max's, the Air Huarache's (one of my person faves) and the Zoom Air's. What does alll this mean for all you non-Nike heads out there?... a damn comfy fit so you can go out there and flaunt in comfort!


** Available at Japan's Mita Sneakers (good luck if you can't read Japanese!)

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Gray, White and Black Nike Air Flight '89s now at Rakuten

While I don't find myself wearing too many Nikes, I'm definitely a fan of white shoes and like to wear a lot of white and black in general. Nike fan or not, its hard to argue that the Air Flight '89 isn't one of the most classic sneakers ever. I'm loving this uber simple yet stylin' colorway... the speckled finish on the gray portions do just enough to give them a little spice and set them apart. Unfortunately, unless you're in Japan though, looks like you'll have to pick these up online at Rakuten.

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Puma 917 Mid Canvas Sneaker - So Fresh and So Clean

For one reason or another, Converse Chuck Taylors and Jack Purcells never seem to fit me, so I tend to have to go with other company's versions of canvas sneakers. The shoes here are the Puma 917 Mid Canvas. These bad boys really caught my eye because they have a nice clean aesthetic, but have enough features to set them apart - the mid high top with the buckle, the fabric panels by the lace holes, and the signature Puma swoop logo.

If anyone figures out exactly when these will be available, let me know- they're only $45 and are available at Puma Concept stores. For more new canvas shoes checkout the source.

** UPDATE- Another pic, more colors online purchase available at the Puma Europe Shop:

Source- GQ / Details Online (Men.Style.com)