Pharrell x adidas NMD HU To Arrive In 4 New Colourways on Aug 31

Pharrell Williams and adidas are set to release a brand new sneaker collection called “PROUD”, consisting of four new colourways for the NMD Hu silhouette.

The sneakers are set to drop globally and in Singapore at the end of August.

The four colourways are Cream White, Solar Yellow, Hyper Pop and Core Black.

The Cream White and Core Black are fairly self-explanatory, but the Solar Yellow takes on a fellow neon highlighter aesthetic, while the Hyper Pop is a bright pink colour scheme.

All four pairs come with a grippy gum sole.

The collection will arrive in Singapore on August 31 and can be purchased on adidas.com.sg for SGD340 each.

For a closer look, check them out below.

First Impressions: Running with the Nike Joyride Run Flyknit

Nike may be synonymous with all things sports, spanning across disciplines from football, golf to fencing, but running has been core to its offerings from its very beginning and their latest innovation, the cheerfully named Joyride, is a testament to that commitment.

Joyride isn’t the only proprietary technology in Nike’s arsenal of running soles, but it might just be their most important.

Photo by The Playbook | Daniel Lim

Nike’s Zoom line was crafted for elite runners, the very best of human existence, and was used in the shoe that attempted to break the world record of the fastest marathon.

The React, on the other hand, is made for serious – but recreational – runners in need for a bit of bounce and energy return in their step, while looking good on the streets.

Enter Joyride, the cushioning tech that has the potential to capture the biggest possible running market in the world: non-runners.

Photo by The Playbook | Daniel Lim

Let’s be real, as common as running is as a form of workout, there are more non-runners than runners in existence. And it’s easy to understand why. Running is tough.

While I’ve recently become somewhat of a running enthusiast – I’ve unwisely set a goal to finish a marathon at the end of the year in spite of my lack of fitness – running is a difficult activity to pick up. There are weird pains that show up on your joints, muscles, and everywhere in between. And running can be quite harsh on your feet, especially against solid pavement.

I’ll be honest, the marketing did oversell the comfort levels of the shoe by a little bit, but with that said, on my 5km test runs, I had no complaints. The shoe absorbed the impact of every step and it actually made running feel good.

The Joyride, then, is engineered and marketed towards people who hate running, with the goal of making running easy, as painless as possible and hopefully, a little bit fun. Its most unique quality comes in the form of thousands of multi-coloured beads making up for a solid chunk of foam.

Photo by The Playbook | Daniel Lim

When you first place your feet in them, it’ll feel like unfamiliar territory due to the elevated pods that house the beads under the feet, but something you’ll get used to within a couple of hundred metres in. In fact, after a while, it almost feels like reflexology.

For serious runners, the shoes are also particularly good for recovery runs, particularly when it feels more natural to lie in bed as every part of the body hurts.

Style-wise, the Joyride Run Flyknit looks great, borrowing certain aesthetics from the Presto series, which in my opinion has a very well-balanced design.

Photo by The Playbook | Daniel Lim

The shoe is slightly heavier than the Epic React Flyknit, but the difference is negligible. What’s more, Nike did away with an insole altogether, so your feet feel as close to the beads as possible, which is a good thing.

All in all, they are easily in my top choices for runners, and although I wouldn’t take them on my long runs – I’ve got the Epic React for those – the Nike Joyride Run Flyknit as easily my first pick for any run under 5km.

The Nike Joyride Run Flyknit launches worldwide on August 15, 2019 and will be available in Singapore at Nike Jewel and Paragon.

Nice Kicks and adidas Consortium Team Up Once Again on the UltraBOOST

Sneaker retailer Nice Kicks and adidas Consortium are back with a brand new collaboration, this team commemorating the 50th anniversary of popular “hippie” music festival Woodstock.

As such, the design is reminiscent of a popular hippie design from the 70s, taking on a spiral tie-dye aesthetic on the upper.

Both Woodstock and Nice Kicks branding can be found on the tongue of the shoe, as well as custom inserts.

A full white BOOST midsole is accompanied by an orange Continental outsole.

The pair will be released on August 17 from the Nice Kicks online store as well as selected retailers.

For a closer look at the pair, check them out below.

Nike’s Cortez “Shoe Dog” Pack Drops on July 24 in Singapore

As recounted in his memoirs entitled Shoe Dog, Nike founder Phil Knight spoke about having three designs of the Cortez before he even had a name for the company.

It was the first silhouette that the brand we know now as Nike ever released.

The three design options were known as the Nike, the Falcon and Dimension Six.

For starters, the “Nike” is the closest we have to the final version we have grown familiar with. The longer and slimmer Swoosh was the first iteration of the Swoosh design by Carolyn Davidson, who eventually came up with the Nike logo we know and love.

Another option for Knight was the “Falcon”, which was aimed at representing speed and motion – highly apt for a sports brand that was making running shoes. The design showcased a stitched bird on its lateral side with the words “Falcon” on its top wing.

Interestingly, “Dimension Six” was actually Knight’s preferred choice of name for the brand and the shoe that accompanied its name had a thick blue stripe on its side with a large red circle inside of it.

All three pairs drop on Nike.com on July 24, 2019, for a retail price of SGD159.

Limited Edt is also expected to release the shoes at their LE Vault store (313 Somerset) on the same day.

For a closer look, check them out below.

YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 “Cloud White” Gets Reflective For Sept Drop

Following the recent first-looks at the YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 “Cloud White”, it appears that a “Reflective” colourway will also get a drop, thanks to images from @hanyuzing.

Due to release in September, both the “Cloud White” and “Cloud White Reflective” are the latest colourway pairings set to drop in a busy 2019 for the YEEZY label.

Instagram: @yeezymafia

We’ve already seen a resurgence in popularity for the YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 silhouette, most recently with the launch of the “Synth”, which caused a frenzy at Wisma Atria during its release.

Other silhouettes such as the the “YEEZY BOOST 700” has also been gaining in popularity over the years.

No official word yet from adidas or Kanye regarding the launch of the “Cloud White” and its “Reflective” edition, so stay tune for more details in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, for a closer look at the pairs, check out the images below.

Instagram: @hanyuzing

Instagram: @hanyuzing

Instagram: @hanyuzing

Instagram: @hanyuzing

BAPE x RETROSUPERFUTURE Collaborative Eyewear Collection Arrives on July 20

Legendary Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape and Italian eyewear label RETROSUPERFUTURE are teaming up on a collection of co-branded sunglasses.

The collection consists of two of RSF’s frames, the Flat Top and the Drew Mama.

BAPE’s signature camo print can be found on the interior of the frames as well as the exterior of the temples on both eyepieces.

This “Made In Japan” series also marks the first time RETROSUPERFUTURE will be manufacturing eyewear outside of Italy.

The collection is set to drop on July 20 and will be available at BAPE Singapore and

A Week With The X-Mini Liberty S

Made popular by its super portable speakers back in 2007, the Singapore-born X-mini brand has been making quite the comeback lately, expanding into Bluetooth earphones, soundbars and the like – which leads us to the Liberty S.

A follow-up to last year’s Liberty, the brand is marketing the earbuds as True Wireless Xoundpods, boasting an increased playback time of 4.5 hours on their own and 18 hours with the charging dock.

Upon unboxing the pack, the most immediate reaction to the earbuds is that it certainly looks and feels more premium than its $79 retail price. 

The earbuds each light up at its logo, doubling up as an indicator on battery life. The charging dock is also sturdy, with a satisfying pull and push mechanic. 

But of course, the most important aspect of the review would be its sound quality. 

Having dabbled with the BeatsX – originally priced around $198 – and a pair of ZNE Firefits, which cost me no more than $30, I was expecting the X-mini Liberty S to sound closer to the ZNEs.

To my surprise, however, the Liberty S held its own in the audio department and sounded closer to the BeatsX than I was expecting.

The mids, particularly on vocals, were crisp and clear. Instruments such as guitars and synths also shine. When listening to tracks such as John Mayer’s Gravity, the overall sound was very well balanced. Highs were equally crisp.

And while the lows didn’t quite match up to the BeatsX, it was still very decent considering that these were a pair of truly wireless earbuds. What I found that really helped in the bass department was to position the main body of the earbuds so that it touches the outer part of your ear. Trust me, the difference is night and day.

What’s more, while the pair isn’t marketed as a noise-cancelling earbud, I was pleasantly surprised at how effective the in-ear buds were at drowning out ambient noises, particularly with music playing at an optimal level.

In terms of comfort, the set comes with four different sizes of silicone ear tips. I found the default ones to be a little too big for me, but the smallest ones were just nice. 

Connectivity-wise, there were instances in which one side would momentarily lose audio for a second or two, but these were far and few between. 

Thanks to its sweat resistance, I mostly used the earbuds on runs and found them to be reliable regardless of running speed. 

For review, I paired the Liberty S to my Apple Watch and they worked great together. There were also comfortable for all-day use when I would get plugged in at the office and would sometimes forget that I had them on.

All in all, the Liberty S is well worth its price tag and its audio quality triumphs, even pulling its weight against pricier competition.

YEEZY BOOST 350 V3 Surfaces On Kanye West’s Feet

After hearing that the famed YEEZY BOOST 350 silhouette would be getting a third iteration, following the successful V1 and even more successful V2, we’ve been on the look out for an update on the pair.

Earlier today, images of the V3 began to surface online, seen spotted on the feet of its creator himself, Kanye West.

While the look of the silhouette had significant changes from V2 to V1, it appears that the V3 will share many traits with its predecessor, albeit spotting a brand new pattern on its upper.

More eagle-eyed viewers will also notice a change in shape at the toe box as well as a taller midsole towards the rear of the shoe.

Take a closer look at image below.

yeezy boost 350 v3 playbook asia

Nike.com Is Giving 30% Off Its ‘Stock Up’ Collection in Malaysia

If you’ve been on the lookout for deals on all things sneakers and sportswear, we’ve got good news for you.

Nike Malaysia is slashing off 30% on the prices of their “Stock Up” collection, which includes anything and everything from running shoes, NBA and EPL jerseys, training tops, football boots, tights and more.

All you’ll need to do is enter the promo code “SAVE30MY” at checkout for the discounts to take effect.

If you’re looking for a decent pair of sneakers, the collection includes favourite silhouettes such as the Nike Classic Cortez, Nike Air Force 1, and Air Max 97.

Nike Classic Cortez in White/Black colourway

For the footballers amongst you, there’s a couple of notable football boots to take note of. The Nike Superly 6 Elite Game Over, for instance, is included in the sale, which normally retails for RM1,145. 

The PhantomVSN Elite is also included in the sale as well as the Vapor 12 Elite.

Nike Superfly 6 Elite FG Game Over

Runners and gym goers would also love the range of trainers available under the “Stock Up” collection.

Notable silhouettes include the highly-loved Epic React Flyknit 2, which comes in 4 colourways, as well as the Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo.

Nike Epic React Flyknit 2 in “8-bit” colourway

For a full look at what’s available for the promotion, check out Nike Malaysia’s Stock Up Collection and don’t forget to apply the “SAVE30MY” promo code at checkout to enjoy 30% off.

Promotion ends on July 15, 2019, and is exclusive for customers in Malaysia.

For the Nike GSS Promotion in Singapore, find out more here.

adidas and UNDEFEATED Team Up On The UltraBOOST 1.0 “Blackout”

Longtime collaborators adidas and UNDEFEATED are teaming up once again on the UltraBOOST 1.0 silhouette.

Adding on to the growing list of co-branded sneakers, both brands are set to release an all-black version of the UltraBOOST 1.0, aptly named “Blackout”.

UNDEFEATED shared an image of the shoe on its Instagram account earlier today, stating that it was “coming soon” in the caption.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzHZgOvhIye/

From the looks of things, the pair has everything you know and love from the UltraBOOST 1.0 silhouette, including a full-length BOOST midsole, iconic lacing cage and Primeknit uppers.

UNDEFEATED’s branding can be found across the uppers and on the tongue of the right side.

For a closer look, check out some of the official photos from UNDEFEATED below.