u/realityryan

These were one of my favorite pickups last summer

"I like these, I don't know if I love Jordan 7s"

A little forgotten gem these Pattas... excellent quality, a wearable colorway and some pretty dope design choices --

• Decent unboxing, Apple style minimalistic art with a rendering of the sneaker and there's some nice wax paper
• There's a giant hangtag with a jumpman literally jumping off the logo... legend
• The materials are what make this sneaker worth having, the entire upper is comprised of really high quality nubuck... the short soft hair kind that you can push around and leave your mark on
• The Patta logo on the midfoot outsole is a nice touch
• The grey, greens, off-white and black play well together
• A rubber 23 logo sits on the heel tab with a nylon Patta pull strap

The sneakers themselves look kinda like a European hiking boot but, in a good way... I guess. I don't know I haven't been crazy about any of the patta stuff (AirMaxs) but they nailed it with these.

I put some flat black waxed laces in these and laced them up a hole higher than I normally do... I just thought they looked weird stopping at the ankle, maybe just me.

I think I'm just unsure about 7s in general. They're like "Put em' on the glass" by Sir Mix Alot. Go back and listen to that, it's kinda good right?? But it's no fucking "Baby got back". That's the way the 7s feel to me compared to the 3,4,5 and 6s. Like kinda good by itself but pales in comparison to the greatest hits.

I don't know, why did you have to remove the god damn visible air unit Tinker?

Will probably not unDS these until the fall but excited to do so... anyone have a pair and like them? I've heard 7s can be hard to fit.

"How much for some used SBs?"

Me a week ago: "Anything over $400 is ridiculous."

Me after opening the box: "...I understand now."

Sometimes you buy a pair because they're on the grail list.

Sometimes you buy a pair because the market finally stops trying to rob you.

And sometimes you get them in hand and immediately realize you were the idiot in the negotiation.

I've wanted these for a while, but DS pairs in a size 12 are comfortably living in the "$400+ because we said so" category. As much as I love SBs, I kept telling myself, "They're still just SB Dunks..."

Then I found this VNDS pair on eBay for a pretty reasonable price and pulled the trigger.

After spending about 30 seconds with them...

Yeah... I'd probably pay the $400 now.

Shut up.

Pictures don't really prepare you for these.

The black nubuck wrapping almost the entire upper is absurdly soft. Like, "accidentally petting your sneaker while watching TV" soft.

The contrast between the black overlays, off-white canvas, Rammellzee artwork, and gum outsole is just chef's kiss. It's loud without screaming, artistic without looking like Nike let a toddler loose in MS Paint, and somehow manages to feel premium despite being mostly canvas.

It's one of those sneakers where every angle reveals something different.

I already own the highs.

Fun fact: I unintentionally tested their water resistance by standing in the rain for way too long waiting on the Bluetile Skateboards drop in Columbia, SC this spring.

They're still alive.

Use Reshoevn8r, kids.

The Lace Swap Police™ will undoubtedly arrive in the comments to arrest me because I threw brown laces in those highs.

Y'all are basic.

Some of you see anything besides factory laces and react like I spray-painted a Mona Lisa.

These lows?

Black stays.

No notes.

The unboxing itself is pretty standard SB fare.

You get:

• Fancy Supreme tissue paper.
• Extra laces.
• Supreme hangtag.

Neat.

I guess.

I wasn't exactly expecting Supreme to include a handwritten thank-you letter and a stock certificate.

The shoes are why we're here.

These went straight to feet today.

Yes...

I've even included on-foot photos.

Don't get used to it.

The thing that surprised me most is just how wearable they are.

You'd think artwork plastered across the entire shoe would make them difficult to style, but the black overlays do all the heavy lifting. Throw on black jeans, a hoodie, and suddenly you're wearing one of the most interesting SBs ever made without looking like you lost a fight at Hobby Lobby.

TL;DR

They're fuckin' dope.

I'd take these over another round of crusty Black Carolina 5s, True Blue 3s, Miro 7s, or whatever other medically-induced snoregasm Nike and Jordan Brand have cooked up over the last few weeks.

I used to own way more SBs than I do now. Over time I've trimmed the collection down quite a bit, mostly because I got tired of buying shoes that were "pretty cool."

These remind me exactly why Nike SB collaborations still matter.

When they actually care, they produce sneakers that feel like someone had an original idea instead of opening Photoshop, changing the midsole from Sail to Muslin, and calling it an anniversary release.

This is one of those pairs that makes you remember why collecting is fun.

Sometimes the hype is deserved.

This is one of those times.

"How much for some used SBs?"

Me a week ago: "Anything over $400 is ridiculous."

Me after opening the box: "...I understand now."

Sometimes you buy a pair because they're on the grail list.

Sometimes you buy a pair because the market finally stops trying to rob you.

And sometimes you get them in hand and immediately realize you were the idiot in the negotiation.

I've wanted these for a while, but DS pairs in a size 12 are comfortably living in the "$400+ because we said so" category. As much as I love SBs, I kept telling myself, "They're still just SB Dunks..."

Then I found this VNDS pair on eBay for a pretty reasonable price and pulled the trigger.

After spending about 30 seconds with them...

Yeah... I'd probably pay the $400 now.

Shut up.

Pictures don't really prepare you for these.

The black nubuck wrapping almost the entire upper is absurdly soft. Like, "accidentally petting your sneaker while watching TV" soft.

The contrast between the black overlays, off-white canvas, Rammellzee artwork, and gum outsole is just chef's kiss. It's loud without screaming, artistic without looking like Nike let a toddler loose in MS Paint, and somehow manages to feel premium despite being mostly canvas.

It's one of those sneakers where every angle reveals something different.

I already own the highs.

Fun fact: I unintentionally tested their water resistance by standing in the rain for way too long waiting on the Bluetile Skateboards drop in Columbia, SC this spring.

They're still alive.

Use Reshoevn8r, kids.

The Lace Swap Police™ will undoubtedly arrive in the comments to arrest me because I threw brown laces in those highs.

Y'all are basic.

Some of you see anything besides factory laces and react like I spray-painted a Mona Lisa.

These lows?

Black stays.

No notes.

The unboxing itself is pretty standard SB fare.

You get:

• Fancy Supreme tissue paper.
• Extra laces.
• Supreme hangtag.

Neat.

I guess.

I wasn't exactly expecting Supreme to include a handwritten thank-you letter and a stock certificate.

The shoes are why we're here.

These went straight to feet today.

Yes...

I've even included on-foot photos.

Don't get used to it.

The thing that surprised me most is just how wearable they are.

You'd think artwork plastered across the entire shoe would make them difficult to style, but the black overlays do all the heavy lifting. Throw on black jeans, a hoodie, and suddenly you're wearing one of the most interesting SBs ever made without looking like you lost a fight at Hobby Lobby.

TL;DR

They're fuckin' dope.

I'd take these over another round of crusty Black Carolina 5s, True Blue 3s, Miro 7s, or whatever other medically-induced snoregasm Nike and Jordan Brand have cooked up over the last few weeks.

I used to own way more SBs than I do now. Over time I've trimmed the collection down quite a bit, mostly because I got tired of buying shoes that were "pretty cool."

These remind me exactly why Nike SB collaborations still matter.

When they actually care, they produce sneakers that feel like someone had an original idea instead of opening Photoshop, changing the midsole from Sail to Muslin, and calling it an anniversary release.

This is one of those pairs that makes you remember why collecting is fun.

Sometimes the hype is deserved.

This is one of those times.

"Do you know? Do you know? Do you know?"

No.

No, Jordan Brand... I do not know.

Jordan Brand used to have a weird little era where they'd randomly decide to build a GR silhouette like it was a luxury brand (Louis Vuitton, Prada, etc). No collab. No celebrity. No fake backstory. Just premium materials and a premium price tag.

These are one of those shoes.

The unboxing is honestly fantastic. The matte white shark-tooth box is unlike anything else in my collection, complete with a matching shark-mouth dust bag and an embossed card that proudly proclaims:

>

The entire shoe is wrapped in the same plush leather, and while the quality is undeniable, the execution becomes its own worst enemy.

Instead of highlighting the craftsmanship, the uniform leather treatment makes parts of the shoe almost look rubberized or plastic in certain lighting—even though they're anything but.

Ironically, using less premium leather may have produced a more premium-looking shoe.

Some nubuck. Some hairy suede. Different leather grains. Maybe even a tumbled panel or two? A patent somewhere? Anything to break up the sea of soft white. Depth creates luxury, not just expensive materials.

Then there was the weird creative choices —

• The translucent netting
  • Gone
• Traditional lace lock?
  • Replaced with a leather triangle
• Flat laces?
  • Nope
• What about my shark teeth?
  • Muted, almost completely deleted

I think the Wings Phantom Jordan 1 did this concept much better. That shoe also had minimal storytelling and leaned heavily on premium materials, but it still felt cohesive.

My Wings Phantom 1 Review

The jury's still out on whether these stay in the collection or quietly get sold deadstock someday.

Curious if anyone else owns these.

Did they grow on you... or am I still supposed to "know?" 🤷

"No tariffs and no regrets on this badass world cup exclusive..."

Long time listener and first time caller to the Slawn made website where these dropped two weeks ago... I thought I would get a ridiculous bill for some tariffs but eh, nothing as of yet. Yay?

• The box and packaging are electric with rainbow style plastic wrap. The presentation is pretty cool actually
• The uppers are almost entirely canvas except for the tongue which, is a soft leather. I could do with a material swap on these, with leather comprising the upper and the tongue being canvas. That's just the material snob in me, the brush strokes look fantastic on the canvas; I'm guessing that added texture was why they went with that material choice
• Two pairs of high quality laces... one white waxed, and the alt a softer synthetic and cotton speckled material
• Mixed in with the paint splashes around the shoe, there's slawn signature stitched into the back heel area
• Of course, the cryoshots defining element is the TPU encapsulating the cleats. This actually looks really awesome in hand

I threw some flat blacked waxed laces in here which, I think look fantastic. I'm surprised Nike/Slawn went with white as the default I think they look almost out of place in the shoe.

On foot these are 'ok' for comfort. I'm glad I went a half-size up, I can't imagine how tight these would be if I had gone with a 12 (TTS). The insole in these are really padded and squishy but obviously since these are basically cleats wrapped in plastic, theres not much forgiveness in the midsole. I'm guessing they're probably fine for short durations of wear but these are not the shoe for your walking tour of Manhattan.

TLDR; I love Slawn's stuff.. I have both of the air maxs he put out last year. I love his art, the devious cartoon faces and passionate brush strokes. I wish the upper was a premium leather and not canvas but these are going to be a nice add to the usual rotation of summer time lows (sb dunks, air max 90s, J1s, af1s, and etc.). Looking forward to some more Slawn collabs in the future.

"I'm undecided, do I love these or are they just a collectors item? Either way, this is the best unboxing experience a sneakerhead will likely ever have..."

When I initially saw these releasing last October they were a sneaker that I should like but couldn't easily attain to know for sure. There was history, high end materials, and little subtle details... I just thought to myself that the colorway was just SOOoooOOoo fucking boring... the sail, beige, blacks and subtle browns.

That however, didn't stop me from entering draws for these and missing out.

It wasn't until recently that the price dropped to normal ranges on the resell market, and I became a bit more of a fan of the "grown ass man" sneakers. I find myself gravitating towards the color blockings that are easy to fit and look great with polos and dress shirts.

Don't get me wrong, I still love a head turning sneaker but I don't want to be known as the guy with crazy shoes. That's not the goal. I want to be known as the guy who continues to post long form reviews just to spite the haters... obviously ;)

• Unboxing is probably the coolest experience I've ever had with any sneaker.
  • The box looks like something that has been stored in the government archives next to the holy grail
  • The kit includes some white gloves to put on while you unbox the sneakers
  • Each sneaker is not only wrapped separately in paper but packaged in plastic bags
  • An internal packaging note from satan's workshop StockX
  • There's some really cool artwork on the wax paper detailing the design process
  • Also a little infinite archives disk
• The materials on the shoes are outstanding, they look like an italian dress shoe masquerading as a Jordan 17
• The iridescent metal on the heel really does pop in hand, and effectively saves this shoe from being an otherwise complete borefest
• Alternate high quality synthetic oval performance laces included with checker white stripe
• Outsole of the shoe is gorgeous and just really really cool

The 17 really does come in all of these different shapes with different toolings, I want more 17s!! I know there's another release later this year but it's such a cool silhouette which, gives off this performance luxury electric car vibe (I could do with a couple a season, atleast). I put this side by side to the Doernbechers Zachs, that I picked up earlier this year just for reference on build, size, and shape. It's relatively the same silhouette yet completely different vibes and tooling.

No lace swap here, I don't like the alternates included and I'm waiting on the round waxed leather laces I ordered to arrive. Will post an update with those in, I think the wax laces will give these a little premium finish/ flare that it was missing.

TLDR; This is a really cool sneaker that takes time to appreciate and admire. I'm not sure if I love enough to put it into regular rotation, or if this is the kind of thing that becomes a IYKYK collectors item for me. Either way it's a great add.

Anyone else attempting this?

"This is a poor execution of a great idea and awesome gift for dads everywhere."

Everyone has their little lane when it comes to collecting and hobbies. There are purists and gatekeepers sitting on every sub in reddit, and maybe I am one ... I don't know.

Materials and construction are important, they aren't the only thing but shit they are a BIG thing for me. I'm not a huge basketball fan, not huge MJ fan, I'm a HUGE retro sneaker fan (particularly Nike and Jordan). That means I don't necessarily care about OG colorways, original shapes or packaging. I like shapes that look better, colorways that play well on a silhouette, and packaging that adds excitement and intrigue to the unboxing experience.

"We get it, are you done with the self indulgence yet... can you talk about the sneakers, already!??"

*gets off of soap box*

• Got these for fathers day today, not a complete surprise as they were part of a long list of suggestions but it was a welcome one ;)
• Face box, do people like the face box? I hear people like the face box. I don't like the face box... I'd like it if there was a coffee mug, trophy or some other "world best" iconography
• Fun unboxing experience; I like the elephant print paper and the extra wax paper around the shoes. I see some reviewers complaining about the additional work but I like to take my time, I'm in no rush. If there was an unboxing that took 30 minutes because I had solve a puzzle I'd probably love that
• The little trophy card that's in the box was a nice touch, I think that made it feel a bit more special after receiving this from my wife and sons. That was cool, I haven't seen stuff like outside of the GS releases... FUN!
• The materials on these are just, awful. This has got to be the cheapest looking leather in recent memory. The leather(?) is just plastic feeling, it's not soft or supple it's ridged and stiff. I know these were based off the carpet of an iconic locker room photo after MJ's first championship his dad died. Well, the nubuck feels like a synthetic carpet material and the leather looks like the trim on the lockers and cubbies. Nailed it??
• The colorway is fire! The red hits with the white, browns, cream heel tab and black do work well together. The translucent red outsole looks great and these are easy to fit with pretty much anything you wanna rock to the office or a night out
• "Worlds best" is printed on the inside of the tongue. I could swear these were supposed to say "worlds best dad". I guess though, it's supposed to be a play on the fact that the championship made MJ the "world best" again, while simultaneously remembering James Jordan as one of the worlds best dads?? I think that's what Jordan brand was going with? But maybe, they meant it was the worlds best locker room carpet? We'll never know

Am I surprised that there are no extra laces laces with these? Maybe, most of these special editions have had them (not that I use the crap polyester stuff, anyways). Not a surprise though, for anyone who has read one of my posts before, I put some flat black waxed laces in here and viola! PERFECTION!! I know the lace swap police will be asking me if I had a permit for those laces in the comments.

TLDR; I wish quality of the materials and execution matched the quality of the idea and color blocking. The colorway is strong enough to carry these shoes. As disappointed as I am in the build, these are super clean on foot, and if you got them from your wife and kids like I did, you'll have no problem adding them to your collection, and occasionally throwing them into the rotation.

The site says -- "WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CUSTOM FEES ON ORDERS OUTSIDE OF THE UK"

So will these get held up in customs or will they make it to me?

"It was everything I wanted on the 2nd asking..."

I learned of the Opiums from another poster on r/SNKRS two months ago and it definitely seemed like something I'd be into. An easy to fit, yet statement making sneaker with premium materials and unique packaging.

These were an EU only release from a few years back but very slept on. The sneakers were $125 for a womens size 13.5 on Stockx. I had a $20 coupon and slama-ding-dong shoes ordered.

What arrived almost a month later from StockX was a water logged shipping/ sneaker box that clearly did not belong to the Opium collab and some sneakers of dubious authenticity.

The questionable Product from Stockx

I was surprised by the reception the thread got in this sub. Comments ranged from "that kinda sucks" to "you're making a big deal about nothing, those shoes look fine!". I felt almost victim shamed, lol. I collect the sneakers as much as I wear them, why would I accept these without the original packaging? How could I trust the shoes as legit? The authenticators in the comments who saw 3 pictures, said they looked good, well shit... I should just go with that.

"Shut up already we get it!!!"

Anyways, on the second attempt to purchase these shoes, I went through GOAT... and they were everything I read about and checked all the boxes for me in terms of a premium collab, and are just a nice add to the collection.

• Cool airship box that looks like an old school suitcase. Inside there's a nice microfiber or satin cloth along with the wax paper... I love it whenever Jordan or Nike does that; it just adds to that whole unboxing experience. There's a cool airship booklet that describes the retro technology, that's just neat. I can diggggg it
• The shoes themselves are gorgeous, the quality is insane on the upper. There's some nice thick cuts of some lightly coated soft white leather complimented by some buttery smooth nubuck around the collar and toe box. The eyelet area has nice cracked black leather for some added depth and texture
• The only material that is not super premium is the swoosh itself, that's because you can remove them and reveal another swoosh (How To Remove the Swoosh On The Opiums) which is a nice easter egg whether I ever take advantage of that or not
• The default laces are perfect thick woven flat cotton waxed black. I think these look gorgeous with the white tips. No need for a swap, I'm like Billy Joel... I love you just the way you are
• Along with perfect defaults are some not perfect alternates which, are probably the only disappointing part of this shoe why go cheap polyester? Why not flat cotton or flat waxed white?
• The hangtag is nice a nice touch too

TLDR;

These are a great sneaker, they check all my boxes for an add to the collection. There's some cool story telling, there's hidden details, high quality materials, customizability, fun peripherals and yes the right fucking box.

No regrets on the return to stockx and buying again from GOAT. I don't think the nubuck on those ones I returned were nearly as nice. I definitely wasn't drawing smiley faces on those like I was on these. I'm almost certain now that those were reps, despite those eagle eyed r/SNKRS authenticators in the comments.

I slept on these, I was not at all interested in some banana shoes. How wrong I was though, when I got these in hand...

"Why Johnny Ringo you're no banana, you're no banana at all..."

• The unboxing was definitely underwhelming for such an iconic shoe. For something that for so many folks was grail status, I would have thought some kinda something special would be here, a nod to the store in Tokyo maybe? NOTHING?? Like for real? "Shut-up Ryan, this is a faithful retro!!" Fine. Garbage bag plastic black paper and a cardboard shoe divider it is.
• The shoes come installed with worst sneaker laces ever invented, the thin waffled polyester black kind. It's the quickest to lose any sort of high end appeal or premium finish, why Jordan!? "...Ryan we said faithful retro" Right, also it comes with some white alts of the same lace type which, is nice, I guess? Just curious does anyone wear these with white laces? Kind takes something away doesn't it?
• The materials and the build however, are gorgeous. The nubuck gives the yellow depth and a sporty race jacket type look. It's just nice to run your fingers against the upper, definitely some of the best materials I've seen on 5 or really, well, any Jordan brand shoe. The hairs aren't as long as the Cactus Jack 4s, I drew a smiley face with my finger on those... but it's JUST as nice.

I swapped some flat black cotton laces in here (not waxed). I think the cotton supports the sporty colorway of the sneaker and wax would probably be ok but I just didn't think this shoe was trying to be luxury... it presents as sporty and edgy to me.

TLDR; I slept on these but have woken up in time for the price to drop quite on the resell market enough to make a purchase under $400 a reality. These are gorgeous shoe built with impressive materials that's a most own for most collectors. There's no story to tell here or hype to experience... this is just a sneaker to be worn and admired.

An uninspired collaboration on my favorite running/ training shoe. The sneakers feature some gorgeous A Ma Maniere colorways, with the same synthetic standard materials and tooling as all the other GRs. These are a special project in appearance only.

When A Ma Maniere announced this release a few weeks ago all of sudden, it was surprise but a welcome one. I have beat the hell out of the two Pegasus premiums I picked up last summer between the gym and cardio. They're kinda cooked, and squeak with every step... so I was down diggity down down for a new light and dark pair.

I didn't see any release notes on these, any reviews or hype around these. Aside from the few eager Redditors in r/SNKRS (fam <3), I didn't know if any one else on the internet was interested. Then shockingly, the sneakers sold out in both colorways. I was lucky to hit in the raffle on the dark color and hit on the drop in the white before the sellout.

My expectations were probably some type of premium cotton (or similar) upper or some type of shake up in the build to elevate the appearance to something a bit more special. I thought a couple extra laces would be standard... and maybe a hangtag, or something?

NOTHING.

Alright, ok that's not true there is a pretty cool 3M reflective box with some AMM prints and wax paper. So unboxing delivers... but no extra laces, not one.

In hand both colorways and color blockings look fire, and I found strangely that this pair unlike my GRs from last summer fit closer to TTS (maybe my feet shrunk in a year?). The toebox on these is a bit cramped still, so if you're going to run in them and are a wide footer I'd go a half size to full size up. Your normal size will be fine for lifting, cross-training and normal lifestyle wear.

TLDR; These look great and will perform exactly like your regular Pegasus Premium. If you're eyeing these in resell be advised the premium AMM experience ends at the unboxing, these are comprised of the exact same materials and tooling as the GRs. They're are a fun upgrade of my existing beaters at retail but would be disappointing resell purchase.

Much better in hand than pictured online, lace swap options could give these shoes life beyond summer month but still, this is one of the weaker releases in the Travis Jordan 1 collaboration series.

Alllllrighhht ... after all the fuss of the drop day madness, queues for raffle entries, false losses, SNKRs app crashes and panic price drops from resellers I finally got the pink pack in hand this week.

• The box and packaging is the simple but premium we've come to expect. It's still exciting to see the Cactus jack paper and unwrap these shoes 1 by 1 no matter how many I own (hint*: all).
• Both shoes come with a variety of laces however, only the shy pink arrives with a darker (velvet brown option)... the tropical pink could also look fire with the right darker shade lace. The shy pink comes with the circular SB laces which, somewhat have grown on me, and work for this shoe but I still contend I don't like them in the mocha low. The rest of the laces with this release are premium flat waxed cotton laces, as they should be
• Unique little hearts are added for this release on the tongue and insoles, yay I guess?
• The materials on these shoes are once again the best a man can get for a Jordan release, the quality control and finishing touches on the pair I recieved are excellent

The better color way between the two is Tropical pink by a wide range. The materials are slightly different but work slightly better. The grapefruit pinkish red gives the shoe more versatility with dark outfits and jeans. It is overall just more of a commitment to being a 'loud' shoe, this is not a sneaker you tone down, this is one you build an outfit around. No lace option does bold better than the tropical pink laces that come as alternate with the shoe. Embrace the head turning.

The shy pink looks like we just announced a gender reveal. I just need some matching balloons that say "it's a girl"! Don't get me wrong these are going to look really clean with some khakis and a summer fit but unlike most of the recent earth tone Travis colorways we've seen, you'll have to be selective when fitting these, and not in the head turning way like the tropical pinks.

The leather material/ treatment of the white portions of the upper for the shy pink are just weird. It feels and looks plastic, cardboardish or rubbery. I know it's a really short haired nubuck but just feels different than anything I own and not in a good way. I compared it side by side to the Trophy Room 1 lows as example of how to do a softer cleaner white better.

I have no clue how the leather on 'shy pink' will age, but I will say that if Jordan brand and travis had gone with a longer haired nubuck or even a more textured leather it would have given these shoes more depth. Maybe that's what they were going for with this? A throw away, don't think much about it fun shoe? It's still extremely nice premium cuts of nubuck on the shy pink, I just don't know if I like the look or feel.

TLDR; I hear sneakerheads don't read on reddit; so for those who don't ... I'll just say these are a fun summer pack that aren't for everyday or every person wear. The materials and build are premium though, I question wtf is going on with the upper on the 'shy pink'.

Not pictured the L I took on SNKRS today.

I think with the Whitaker groups help, I can go 8 for 8.

I figure we know today, right? Can't be that many entries to weed out.

I ordered these a few weeks ago and was actually VERY stoked to see the pair in hand. From what I've seen these shoes would check all of my boxes in terms of quality, color blocking, sleptonness, unboxing experience, and story telling. They took awhile to arrive(almost 4 weeks) but then again, they were coming from the Netherlands and stopping somewhere called "FOKKERPARK".

That's right the FOKKERPARK.

Right now, I was expecting to be writing a review, ragebating ya'll by trying some lace swaps and detailing a lovely unboxing experience but instead... I think I've received my first pair of obvious counterfeit shoes through Stockx.

I guess after 200+ pairs ordered through Stockx over the past 3 years I was overdue?

To be honest, I was shocked when I examined the shipping box for these and saw they were water damaged. How does that happen? This thing didn't just get wet, it got soaked and just sat in water somehow from Stockx to here. I bet it was that rainy ass FOKKERPARK.

It got weirder when under the shipping box was a water damaged version of the wrong Nike box entirely. A red/ white box??

The label however, was correct saying "WMNS JORDAN AIR SHIP PE SP", USA size 13.5, and a marvelous "SAIL/BLUE CHILL-BLACK VOILE/ NOIRE/ BLUE FRAIS" colorway.

In the box was a pair of StockX authenticated Opium Paris Airships, extra laces and a hangtag but that was it, no wax paper, no cloth, no paper in the shoes at all...

Was the Stockx agent high when they sent this out? TIL- The Netherlands have government regulated "coffee shops" where you can legally buy weed.

They must have some good shit.

I contacted StockX sent them approximately 1 billion pictures, they gave me a $13 coupon for the trouble(yeah, random amount right?) and will get back to me via email with their final verdict on the claim.

There's no way these aren't reps, also wtf Stockx? How did you authenticate this trash?

For context - Legit Unboxing

These need to go back to the counterfeit mutha Fokkerpark

I picked up a shoe a few weeks ago that's been on my "must eventually acquire list" these are of course, the Kaws x Jordan 4 collab from 2017 (in the less iconic black coloreay). This is an all-timer collab for Jordan fans and probably a must have for most sneaker heads, it was for me anyways.

Because these are relatively cost prohibitive to purchase DS, I had been browsing around ebay for a decent condition pair of pre-owns. I found a low mileage pair (Original Listing) and got to chatting with the seller who actually ended up being a really cool dude and sneakerhead himself (eric_sells_energy). 10/10 would recommend if you're in market for some pre-owned retros... after talking for a bit he cut me a great deal!

Packaging:

Dos equis box with the Kaws prints all over and matching black paper, eBay must repack them all neatly like this because it's always a nice unboxing experience... there's a dust bag that looks like the only thing it's ever done was collect dust for almost a decade. Does anyone use these things? Like how? Why?

Shoes:

This is where things got interesting for me because the shoes were in great condition but they were a bit dirty, there were some stains, some wear on the suede and just overall they looked wornout. The suede was hardened in some areas and they just had kind of this weathered look about them. Some folks might really like that, I don't know?

It doesn't really come through in the pictures (I only took one at unboxing) but they just felt beat. Like if I wore these they didn't seem like an impressive $1k+ sneaker to the naked eye, the luster of the leather just wasn't there, the contrast between the dark upper and light sole didn't pop anymore (because the sole had browned/ yellowed). It had nothing to do with the seller, it had everything to do with the fact that these were a 10 year old sneaker.

So I threw these in the ice box to work on the soles, I did a 24hr treatment on these with Angelus sole bright and a 2000w bulb. I don't know what I was expecting but man, after 5 days straight of cleaning, reapplying and icing these didn't brighten that much, maybe they're past the point of no return? They got a bit whiter and they glow SUPER bright in the dark but that icy white/ blue hue, I couldn't get that back.

I gave up on the soles.

I did work on the upper with some Angelus suede renew and some eagle nubuck black dye. Those two worked amazing! I was really impressed with how black and I was able to get the shoes and how soft the nap became after applying just coats of that stuff and brushing them a bit.

TLDR:

These are gorgeous shoes and I'm so happy with the way my light restoration came out. I wish the soles got a bit brighter but whatever, they do have a true aged esthetic about them now, to go along with the polish.

The leather on these shoes is thick, it's top tier quality stuff, and the artistry of the stitching is still unmatched. Definitely a sneaker to invest the time and money into. It's going to be in my collection until I give up the game completely or pass away... whatever comes first.

The pegasus fit small, so I'm sizing up. These are already my preferred trainers, last years pairs are a bit beat... my love for AMM Nike and JB collabs is still strong.

These look fire...