Legendary Southern California surf brand Maui and Sons is making a comeback to footwear with their release of its Vintage High Top. They remind me of a throwback to the old 80′s stylings that the brand became known for with familiar design characteristics, such as the use of black suede paired with colorful Maui and Sons graphics throughout. Retailing for $125, these are now available in limited quantities through Opening Ceremony locations. Goes perfect with some OP shorts and a T&C sweatshirt.

Ceracom, a rubber-like synthetic material, was used in the original construction of the 574 (as the primary material on the upper) and has been brought back with the re-issued 574 for spring 2010. The Ceracom material’s practicality, that is, Ceracom helped shoes stay cleaner and last longer, coupled with the sensibilities of the 574’s comfort and aesthetic created the phenomenon that the 574 is today.

Get your clean, comfortable kicks in three colorways.

Anyone that knows anything about DJ AM knows that aside from DJing, two of his greatest passions were in helping others and collecting sneakers. Throughout the years, he managed to amass a collection of over 800 pairs of kicks. As of last Sunday afternoon (Nov. 15th), these shoes have gone up on Ebay for auction in an effort to raise money and awareness for the DJ AM Memorial Fund, which in turn will use the profit to aid already existing organizations, whose focus lies in substance addiction and recovery. The auction is running until Dec. 14th and 100% of the proceeds will be going to the aforementioned charitable causes.

The collection that is up for grabs includes limited edition and hard to find shoes from Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and BAPE.

You can check out the collection and bid on shoes HERE.

Should’ve been on the cover of the Sneaker Issue, but didn’t get it in time. Bummer for all parties, ‘cause the shoe is laced with goodness. Gold croc skin, two-tone chain laces, royal purple… Is it just me, or would these joints match up perfectly with a bottle of Crown Royal?!

More pics after the jump

Although it looks more like a snowboard boot, it’s actually a basketball shoe. The carbon fiber, the mountains of foam… More evidence that technology doesn’t always lead us in the right direction.

The evolutionary dead-end known as the Air Penny II has just been rereleased, and this is the first time Penny Hardaway’s sneaks have been in stores since 1996. The colorway is inspired by the Orlando Magic, which is Penny Hardaway’s glory days before Shaq got on that purple. The streets have been going crazy for these, cop yours at Tradition.

Ben Lyons knows and loves three things: movies, New York (and the Knicks) and sneakers. It was all about the Celtics this year, so maybe we’ll talk about the Knicks next year. For now, here’s his list of the finest kick flicks and the shoes that made them sneaker classics.

Hoosiers
Chuck Taylors
Hands down the most classic hoops film of all time featured the simple yet timeless style of the Chuck Taylor. Now relegated to Cali cool and hipster chic, the Converse All Star was once the symbol of America’s athletic prowess. Here’s some Hollywood Hoosier trivia: Catt Sadler, host of E!’s “The Daily 10” got her first job as a featured extra in the film.

Hoop Dreams
Nike Flight series
The Oscar-nominated documentary from director Steven James featured classic early ’90s basketball sneakers that nowadays sell for hundreds of dollars in shrink wraps on Fairfax to trendy Japanese tourists. The story of Arthur Agee and William Gates touched the hearts of millions around the world, while thousands of sneaker heads go back and watch the film, screaming at the screen because the kids dirty up their classic kicks on the blacktop with no remorse. Whatever happened to those dudes anyway?

Do the Right Thing
Air Jordans vs. Larry Birds
Nothing rips at my heart and soul more than when a brand new pair of sneakers gets that first scuff. It’s the beginning of the end, the inevitable downfall of flyness. That feeling is captured on film in the classic encounter of fresh and stale, black and white, Jordan versus Bird, in Spike Lee’s classic Brooklyn tale, Do The Right Thing. The Bird fan on the bike goes down in history as one of the great jackass clowns of all time, and those Jordans look even fresher today than they did then. Timeless… Then factor in the Mars Blackman character and Jordan’s cross-promotion with Spike, and the rest if history.
Bugs Bunny Jordans
Staying with the greatest player and shoe designer of all time, Michael Jordan got to make a weak knockoff of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? with his buddy Bill Murray and great cameos from Barkley and Larry Johnson. Although it’s somewhat disguised as a movie, in actuality it was one giant Nike commercial. And what happened to cartoon characters in pop culture? Now kids care about cheesy pop stars and reality hoes, but back then, Bugs was cool and so were those kicks. Remember the #9 Olympic editions? Out of control.

Back to the Future
Terminator high tops
Why Nike never put these on the market in a big way is a complete mystery. The futuristic high tops were so fresh you wanted to fire up the Flux Capacitor and get the Delorean up to 88 miles an hour so you could get a pair, too. Everything else in the future looked wack as shit, except those shoes. Truly iconic and ahead of their time, I think I’d rather have those than the hover board.

lyonsden.eonline.com

This Column is also available in Vapors 49 – The Sneaks Issue

Good answer. Now, if you have Supreme shops in Japan, why are there so many Japanese dudes always in both shops stateside?
The reason for that is because the clothing costs almost twice as much in Japan as it does here. If you ever go to Tokyo, there are tons of little shops that resell Supreme all over the place. It’s people that are affiliated with those places that travel here and LA to try to buy popular pieces that make their stores look good.
What makes Supreme so valuable as a brand? Is it legacy, or is it the stuff you’re doing now? Or is it both?
It’s both. Collectors love the old stuff, younger people love the new stuff, and in NY, everyone tries to look like us.

Would you even call Supreme a skate shop? I know the dudes who work there are skaters, but what percentage of the customers are?
Skaters still meet and congregate here, but the customer is rarely a skater. Somehow skateboards became a fashion accessory around last summer. Kids who hold the board by the truck, that sort of thing. It’s funny style, but money is still green no matter who’s spending it.

Alright, let’s talk kicks. What’re your everyday shoes?
Recently I’ve been wearing those new Converse mids. They’re sick. Clark Desert boots in the winter. And I always wear the Supreme Vans whenever they come out.

You collect?
Any Supreme shoe collab I had was worn until they were unwearable. I come across too many shoes to hang onto anything.

What shoes are you skating in?
Dunk Lo SBs are pretty good for skating—no break-in period required. Put them on and they’re instantly skateable. The new Converse shoes that are coming out are way more comfortable, however. I’ve had two pairs of them and they’re sick. A little on the bulky side, though. For a while I loved skating in Vans, but I would just blow through them too quickly. I need skate shoes to last for more than five days.
What’s the craziest shoe release you guys have done? What happened?
The craziest release had to be the “What The Dunk?.” Police barricades, stormy weather all week, and a huge group of kids waiting four days, all comparing their Swoosh tattoos with their Jumpman tattoos as they waited—all made for a crazy event. I was relieved when it was all over in 45 minutes.

What are your five favorite Supreme lines?
1. “You can’t get a discount, but you can count on getting dissed.” —R. Hickey
2. “Any drop-offs?”
3. “The guys at Supreme LA are my homies.”
4. “It’s only free when you don’t ask for it.”
5. “This is all you got?”

Any hints about what’s in the pipes at Supreme?
The artist collaborations are something to look forward to. The projects that are presented at Supreme set us apart from other skate shops, or “boutiques.” It’s always gotta be more than just a trendy image on a tee. Supreme has always managed tap into culture a bit further than just streetwear.
Okay, one last thing, which was utterly confusing to me: why was Spring’s Kermit the Frog release such a hit? Why is Kermit suddenly valuable enough to camp out for? Any theories?
A lot of people ask about the Kermit thing. I can’t really speak for the creators of the idea, but my take on it is this: the past three or four seasons for Supreme have been the best, and when we release a series of new graphic tees, there have been a few displaying hip-hop iconography. There was the Raekwon tee, where he was holding an Elmo doll, and his associate, also in the photo, was holding an Uzi. The next one was the Juelz Santana and Jim Jones tee; Jim was kind of lurking in the background, blunt in mouth. These tees sold out in one day. Then there’s Kermit, who is just posted up in the photo wearing the coveted box logo tee. There’s something about the sequence of how these tees came out that I think added to its popularity. It also has to do with the logo that Kermit is wearing, which we rarely make anymore. Plus we put out the Kubrick Kermit toy along with it and put him on a logo board. It was just a different idea. But I did think to myself, “Why?” Especially when people over thirty years old were lining up day after day in hopes of buying the Kermit tee.

Alright, any last words, Mr. Lamb?
Just wanted to say one thing about the rumors of everyone at Supreme NY being assholes…true story.

Pull quote: “Just wanted to say one thing about the rumors of everyone at Supreme NY being assholes…true story.”

Weezy does however drink out of a styrofoam cup, and he ain’t coughin’. That’s ’cause, as I said in the last issue of Vapors, purple Sprite cures colds.