Bephies Beauty Supply, Union LA and Jordan Brand Weave Its Air Jordan 1 Capsule Into This Week's Best Footwear Drops

August 2023 is getting ready to roll its credits, and to end the month off on a high note, all of the biggest sportswear labels have stacked the coming days with a fresh crop of collaborative creations and inline propositions. Nike, Jordan Brand, New Balance and more have a ton of heat loaded up in the queue, but before we inform you of those releases, let's first get you caught up on all of the major sneaker headlines that popped up on our radar last week.

For exclusives, Hypebeast's Sole Mates series racked up another feature that was centered around Vans veteran Angie Dita who spoke about her design background and relationship with the Knu Skool silhouette. A substantial amount of news spewed out last week as well, especially from the Beaverton-based juggernauts Nike and Jordan Brand. The former officially unveiled its forthcoming Off-White™ x Nike Air Force 1 Mid SP "Varsity Maize" collab, flexed an on-foot perspective of the Nike LeBron 21 "Violet Dust" and previewed a look at Drake's NOCTA x Nike Air Zoom Drive in "Black/White." On the Jumpman side, we caught an up-close view of Corporate Got ‘Em's Air Ship team-up, captured an early glance at the Air Jordan 1 Low '85 “Neutral Grey” and dug up new imagery of the A Ma Maniére x Air Jordan 5 "Diffused Blue."

Outside of the Swoosh umbrella, Bad Bunny's adidas Response CL "Boston Day" project was announced, MSCHF presented its medical boot-inspired AC2 Mule, norda debuted a duo of new 001 colorways and at GmbH's ASICS GEL-KAYANO Legacy capsule was uncovered.

Now that you're all caught up with the latest in footwear, scroll further down to browse through this week's lineup of best footwear drops. Additionally, be sure to head over to the HBX online store to shop for more footwear styles.

Brain Dead x HOKA ONE ONE Hopara

Release Date: August 22
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Brain Dead
Why You Should Cop: Kyle Ng’s Brain Dead imprint often veers towards obscure silhouettes for its footwear collaborations. After linking up with Oakley to deliver its take atop the Saw Mule, the LA-based label is now being tapped by HOKA ONE ONE to lend its touch to the Hopara sandal. Brain Dead drenches the upper cage with an iridescent sauce and slaps its label onto the lateral heels as well as the throat banner. Midsoles are fashioned with a two-toned green and black color scheme while the rugged treading is formed with a kelp-y finish.

Aminé x New Balance 610T “The Mooz”

Release Date: August 22 (Club Banana site) August 25 (global)
Release Price: $160 USD
Where to Buy: Club Banana and New Balance
Why You Should Cop: Aminé has been a New Balance brand ambassador since 2022, and the time has finally come for his own collaborative offering to hit the masses. The Portland native spices up the Boston sportswear brand’s 610T model with a brown and yellow palette that mimics an aging banana. Iridescent hits poke out through the toe box, quarter panel and heel molds while a snowglobe “610” badge that bears a floating banana inside is situated on the collars. Additionally, one of the rear tabs can be unclasped so that you can loop shoes together and make them easier to pack and lug around.

thisisneverthat x New Balance 550

Release Date: August 23
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: thisisneverthat
Why You Should Cop: Korean streetwear brand thisisneverthat expands its collaborative catalog with New Balance this week by introducing its three-pronged 550 collection. Inspired by black soles used in skateboarding and hiking shoes in the 90s, the capsule sees the mainstream New Balance sneaker get reworked in “Lavender,” “Brown” and “Green” color schemes, all of which are accompanied with stealthy accents and co-branded tongues.

Air Jordan 1 KO Low "Bred"

Release Date: August 23
Release Price: $120 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Union LA kicked off the lifespan of the Air Jordan 1 KO Low with its collaborative take earlier this year, and now the model’s inline catalog is seeking to expand this season. Next up on its to-do list is adopting Jordan’s classic “Bred” motif. Canvas uppers are devised with solid black quarter panels and red toe boxes, heel overlays and synthetic Swooshes. These would make a solid alternative to the Air Jordan 1 High/Low OG offerings given that resell prices on those continue to skyrocket.

Nike Kobe 8 "Halo"

Release Date: August 23
Release Price: $180 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: The official relaunch of Kobe Bryant’s signature line with Nike goes down this week, and the brand is celebrating by introducing the Kobe 8 “Halo” colorway. The court-ready shoes are dripped out in all-white and remixed with embroidered Sheath logos on the midsoles. Under the hood, you’ll find that the cushioning has been upgraded with React foam for increased comfort and responsiveness.

JJJJound x Reebok Club C Nubuck “Core Black”

Release Date: August 24 (JJJJound), August 30 (Reebok)
Release Price: $150 USD
Where to Buy: JJJJound and Reebok
Why You Should Cop: Montreal-based imprint JJJJound is reuniting with Reebok this week to release its fourth rendition of the brand’s Club C. Styled with a monochromatic theme, this variation steers towards the darker side of the spectrum and comes completely covered in “Core Black” to reference the prevalence of black clothing within the art and design spheres. Like its predecessors, the branded lateral side windows trade out their Reebok spell-outs for “JJJJound” hits.

RANRA x Salomon Cross Pro “Better”

Release Date: August 24
Release Price: $230 USD
Where to Buy: RANRA and Salomon
Why You Should Cop: Arnar Már Jónsson and Luke Stevens‘ RANRA is reuniting with Salomon for their second collaborative initiative that entails the Cross Pro. This “Better” assemblage features two colorways: “Cathay Spice/Kelp/Bright Lime Green" and ‘Tumeric/Blazing Orange/Scarlet Ibis." Both resemble earthy tones which makes sense considering the material was executed using a new natural dye process.

Bephies Beauty Supply x Union LA x Air Jordan 1 and Air Jordan 1 Elevate

Release Date: August 24 (Union LA), August 26 (SNKRS)
Release Price: $200 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS and Union LA
Why You Should Cop: Union LA is back on its collaborative grind with the Jumpman this week and this time they’ve brought along Bephie’s Beauty Supply for the ride. The three parties have crafted new takes atop the Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG and the Air Jordan 1 Elevate, Celebrating “The Summer of ‘96,'' the two-piece footwear collaboration celebrates when Union LA founder Chris Gibbs and Bephies Beauty Supply founder Beth Birkett met. Each pair is highlighted by the woven details that are present throughout the upper.

Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Atmosphere Grey"

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Release Date: August 25
Release Price: $140 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS and Union LA
Why You Should Cop: The Air Jordan 1 Low OG returns to the spotlight this week in a fresh “Atmosphere Grey” colorway. Given that this pair leans solely on brighter neutral tones to style its top and bottoms, these make for a versatile option to keep in rotation all-year long. Its titular shade dresses up the toe boxes, Swooshes and heels while the tumbled leather overlays and quarter panels are formed with a “Sail” hue.

Nike Air Max2 CB 94 “Pure Purple”

Release Date: August 25
Release Price: $170 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS and Union LA
Why You Should Cop: While his golf swing is questionable, Charles Barkley had an eye for sneaker design as his Nike Air Max CB 94 was popular amongst retro hoops fans. The high-cut silhouette is slated to return in retro form yet again in its OG “Black/White/Pure Purple” color scheme that references his prime in the NBA when he suited up for the Phoenix Suns.

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