PAUSE Picks: Top Sneaker Releases of the Week

The “metallic” craze simply won’t go away, and frequent silver surfers adidas have reimagined their Taekwondo sneaker for their newest shiny entry. The laceless sneaker boasts a lived-in cracked silver upper that contrasts against smooth black leather adidas Three Stripes and throat logo branding, whilst a gum sole continues to instil a vintage-style aura to the retro re-release.

You can’t give up on the PUMA Speedcat OG just yet, especially when they’re whipping out colourways like this. An “Archive Gold” really takes the cake this week, perfectly lining up with the vintage vibe of the overall silhouette. Punched hole stitching gives the pair a rough feel, various hits of PUMA branding make use of the brand’s iconic logo, and an all-black outsole gives this pair a longer life. No wonder they’re called the Speedcat; they’ll be going fast.

Be right back, Gorp-core just peaked. The tech-heavy New Balance Tokyo Design Studio Niobium C_3 is as technical as it sounds, ditching the stereotypical sneaker vision and moving towards more of a moon-ready boot. A multi-green colour scheme finds itself across the durable waterproof eVent material upper, the robust ROLLBAR sole unit, the Vibram XS Trek Evo outsole, as well as the various tightening toggles spread across the eye-catching pair. We don’t know even know what these are needed for, we just dig the vision.

Palace know their audience to a tee, and this UGG collaboration just sold out in record time. This “Pink Camo” take on UGG’s iconic Ultra Mini Boot brings the 00s-style Ed Hardy love back to the forefront, as a vibrant pink camouflage underlays stitched tiger and dragons graphics, which roar their way towards the toe area. Palace stitching finds itself on the small ankle area as sherpa lining, rear UGG branding, and heel toggles give the pair some extra detail.

Is this practical? No. Do we care? Not really. The Swarovski x Nike TN Air Max Plus is emblazoned with crystals, automatically making it a grail for all of the most ardent TN enthusiasts. The “Moonlight” iteration sets the scene of a shimmery passage of water letting the moonlight dance across its surface, with the shine of the Swarovski crystals being sensibly tamed by a matted finish on the black base material. These are the epitome of fun.