We’re blessed with an abundance of Nike Dunks in 2021. One of the Nike Dunk Low CNY Firecracker, takes theming sneakers to the extreme. The nation’s fixation on fireworks is especially present during the Lunar New Year festivities, which makes the story of this pair a fitting tribute.Heavy graphic overlays filled with cautionary and package decorations channel corner store crackers arrive atop a striking royal base. Further firecracker inspo hit the tongue tags, too. But like all wrapping on store-bought fireworks, it’s removable. The same goes for this Dunk, with both the baby blue mesh upper and royal overlays fully demountable to expose a completely red upper that symbolizes the firecracker itself. But it doesn’t end there — scratch the shoe’s red upper and you can see a base layer of black and grey, which represent the gunpowder residue found on the ground after the firecracker is set off. All of this arrives trimmed with black, red, and gold trim throughout — a traditional combo for any CNY release.
Arriving in a Dolphins-eque palette, the Nike SB Dunk Low Club 58 presents a slightly green-tinted blue suede upper with striking white and black accents and vibrant orange outsoles. There’s not a single let up on the upper, which runs toe-to-tail in the aforementioned suede, with black-lined white leather Swooshes, black rear embroidery, and monochrome Club 58 badges tacked onto the lateral ankle providing the pair’s character. It’s fattie mesh tongues come capped with the same 58 insignia as the upper, while black (and likely white) laces hold the vamp tight. Completing the design is a crisp white outsole that’s tacked on with black contrast stitching and a full-length orange rubber outsole.
This Air Jordan 9 WMNS Cactus Flower was originally released during Michael Jordan’s first retirement from basketball, tells an international story that uses the shoes’ outsoles as its canvas. Through distinct global graphics and words in different languages, the shoe illustrates MJ’s impact and influence around the world. That sentiment lives on today, evidenced in this women’s exclusive model, which features the phrase “Change the World” on the heel loop. The shoe also employs unique colors on both shoes using vegetable-tanned materials and natural plant-based dyes.