PAUSE Picks: Top Sneaker Releases of the Week

Wales Bonner refuses to let the adidas Samba hype fade away as the duo reunite for a croc-infused take on the heritage sports silhouette. This all-leather iteration arrives in a “Night Brown/Wonder White” colourway and brings forward a more elevated touch, utilising subtle co-branding, a woven leather tongue, as well as a thick stitch take on the adidas Three Stripes.

Grandad-core has just evolved in real time, with American footwear mainstays Merrell bridge the gap between style and function in a big way. This Moab 2 Slide Quilted sneaker makes one thing clear: texture is king. Keeping in touch with what’s hot, a quilted upper debuts in a “Viridian” green and combines with smooth black suede hits on the mudguard and heel. The slip-on styling utilises decorative stitching on the upper, 100% recycled fleece lining and a recycled mesh footbed cover, Cleansport NXT™ treated for natural odour control, a comfort-centric Merrell Air Cushion in the heel, as well as a lightweight EVA foam midsole and a Vibram Ecostep Recycle outsole. Slip-ons are still alive and kicking, and Merrell are the latest challengers to the throne.

More technical brilliance enters the fray here in the form of the On Running x PAF Cloudventure, a true meeting of (great) minds. It’s minimalist, all black approach leans on popular sneaker world stylings for inspiration here, with a recycled polyester upper adding a nice stretch to the pair, while a unique asymmetric lace system, CloudTec® cushioning, and a 30% carbon Speedboard for some extra bounce make this an extremely viable winter runner option.

If you want luxury, never look further than A Ma Maniére x Nike, especially with this particular pair of the Air Max 95. Earthy dark brown tones line-up alongside very subtle shades of pink, as a suede, luxe grain leather, and smooth leather composition layers the pair with a sense of luxury. Keeping to Nike’s heritage design style for the Air Max 95, the wavy striping down the upper keeps its signature place along with the iconic Air bubble underfoot, with exposed zig-zag stitching, thin tonal laces, and a stitched Nike mini Swoosh putting the metaphorical cherries on top of the metaphorical cake. A Ma Maniére x Nike = hit.

Another Nike Air Max paves the way as we head into the tail end of 2024, with the retro SNDR silhouette having been one of the years highlights thus far. Capitalising on the changing of the seasons, Nike’s newest Air Max SNDR takes a new colour to a plain white neoprene base, with Nike’s futuristic shape swapping out the more vibrant tones seen previously with an autumnal “Night Maroon” burgundy. Could this be 2024’s best sneaker?