friz.the.wiz.

In a market full of flashy gimics and overstated designs, every now and then a brand comes along that just exudes quality. The Copenhagen based clothing label, Norse Projects, is exactly that. Special attention to simple details such as the quality of the materials used, simple-well constructed layouts and a a classic approach to design, make Norse a brand to shake things up in the future.

This New Balance 670 model features a mostly navy suede upper, with cobalt blue mesh, with mint green and 3M highlights on the N logo. The classic white midsole tops it off very nicely. Available October 23rd from New Balance retailers, and Norse Store.

Frizthewiz.com is flipping it up this week with a little competition to get the heads moving!

This week Nike announced the Jordan Flight 45 ‘Command Force’. Name Ring-a-bell? Well it should! The flight 45 pays homage to the original Nike Air Command Force, one of those incredible high top sneakers we all wish we could have had a pair of back in the day. Nike has also released the same colourway in the new hyperize sneaker, but the 45 does it better in our opinon.

In 50 words or less, tell us your opinion on which sneaker is better and why? The Flight 45 ‘command force’ or the hyperize ‘command force’.

Put your responses in the comment section at the bottom of the page. Best response, Australia wide, receives a free copy of Happenstance Magazine.

Nice Kicks x Asics Gel Lyte III

A few weeks have gone by with the absence of a sneaker of the week feature, so today’s feature will be in addition to our regular sunday contribution.

Asics’ Gel Lyte III was first released in 1990, and is still being retro’d today almost 20 years later. It’s sturdy construction and more than pleasing aesthetic is more than enough to see why! Featuring additional rear foot cushioning and shock absorption, a split tongue and  tri-density compression molded mid-sole technology, the Gel Lyte III has become a benchmark of modern sneaker design by any standard.

The Nice Kicks collab is part of a three pair series, with two more to come. When asked about the project, Nice Kicks had this to say:

“Though color choice was important for us, the material selections took a very high priority.  From front the back, the shoe features a nubuck toe cap, perforated pig skin toe box and side panels, patent leather striped overlaying 3M reflective material, finishing off with ballistic mesh on the tongue and ankle collar.”

The Nice Kicks x Asics Gel Lyte III project will be available in october from DavidZ.com, retailing for $105us. These are limited to ONLY 250 PAIRs worldwide, so if you’re keen, you better bookmark the link above!

NIKE AIR TRAINER 1

Continuity is the key in this game of life, with simple elements usually coming out on top. The Nike Air Trainer 1 is no exception to this rule, applying the usual OG formula of white + Grey + Colour = Super F F Fressssssshhh! Legendary designer, Tinker Hatfield, produced the air trainer 1 with the concept of making the first athletic cross-training shoe. This allowed wearers to jump from running straight into aerobic and muscular exercise without having to change their sneakers. The Air Trainer 1 was first released in 1987 in the chlorophyll colourway. It was re-released in the mid 90’s and since then has seen a multitude of colourways, and more variations including the air trainer 2 & 3.

NIKE AIR TRAINER SC II

Every week, month and year, sneaker companies Retro old models so that fans and consumers alike can relive the magic of a classic sneaker. Unfortunately, the Nike Air Trainer SC II is NOT one of them. This shoe was made a classic by Bo Jackson, the dual-professional sportsman, of which many of his sneakers have been retroed already.

Nice kicks says: The circa 1991 SC II features sail cloth anchoring the upper to the sole. While the shoe had the mid top cut, the sneakers also had an interior boot that provided extra stability.  Nike Air cushioning protected the impact of the heel of those training.  The shoe finishes off with a large “Nike Air” logo on the heel reminding you of which brand dominated the training footwear category then and now.

NIKE AIR 180

This week’s top sneaker is the Nike Air 180. Originally released in 1991, this revolutionary shoe had 50% more air than previous Air Max models, and went one step further by introducing the visible air unit in the heel. They were only around for 1-2 years when released, making the Air 180 very sought after by collectors. Todays most sought after colourways are the Men’s OG white/ultramarine/infrared and the women’s OG white/red/magenta. The Men’s OG’s have recently been retroed, as already featured on the blog!