Why Do They Do This To Me?

Why do these sneaker companies continue to produce these beautiful collaborations when they know I can't afford them? Just look at these gorgeous Limited Ed. Sneakers 'n' Stuff x Puma Clydes [pictured above in all of their glory]. What a magnificent example of design and craftsmanship. Made of premium Swedish reindeer leather (they also make good eatin'), with the lining inspired by the traditional settlers of Sweden (the Sámi people), a virtual cornucopia of different color laces, a traditional Swedish carving-inspired lace decoration bead, a velour drawstring shoe bag, and 5% of the revenue going to Sáminourra (Sámi Youth), it is a shame that these are so expensive, but it makes sense (I guess). If you want a pair (and you are limited to one pair per person) they will run ya' €171.94 or at today's exchange rate, a whopping and totally out of reach $232.23! That's €8.60 or $11.61 for the Sáminourra for each pair purchased. Which is the only reason I would ever buy these kicks (yeah right! I would get them for their aesthetic value if I could actually afford them, then I wouldn't take them out of the box for a year, and when I did I would get all bummed out when they got the first little bit of dirt on them and I would spend hours trying to make them look new again, only to be dissatisfied by my efforts.).

Round One

Alife has just collaborated with Puma on a classic Limited Ed. First Round NY high top basketball sneaker from the Puma archive [pictured below]. The Alife version is executed in premium Nubuck with a tonal gloss print. They are produced in both white and black; both colors feature a custom woven label on the tongue, four different fluorescent patent leather stripes, custom footbeds and ten pairs of laces: five thin and five fatty laces. They will be available starting this Saturday, August 18th, at ten locations worldwide: the Alife stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver; Slammin' Kicks in London, Patta in Amsterdam, Colette in Paris; Black Chamber in Singapore; Highs and Lows in Perth and Provider in Melbourne, Australia. According to the e-mail it seems that you will also be able to get them from the Rivington Club website, but that information has yet to be substantiated. Check the website on Saturday to find out. Until then, you can just look at all the pretty pictures. (There will also be matching t-shirts available at the Alife NYC and LA stores)

Puma At Alife

I have always been a big fan of Puma sneakers, but when I was living with Mike Lucas he always had the dopest Pumas and I didn't want to look like a biter, so I rocked Adidas instead. I know there is a big dispute between Puma and Adidas (seeing as how they were created by brothers who didn't agree on sneaker design, so little Adi Dassler left the company to start Adidas and big brother Rudi formed Puma), and I do have more pairs of Adidas than Pumas, but I still find both aesthetically appealing. Now Alife seems to be joining the Puma fan club and have several styles available to choose from, including some for the lady sneaker freaks. They have a couple of pretty styles of ladies Clydes (my favorite Puma style) available , the ladies Jetter Reflect; and for the fellas: a couple of different styles of the Reptile Low (the artificial reptile skin version of the Clyde) and a special GV Lux edition [all pictured below, top to bottom]. I like the orange and black Reptiles the most, but that's just me (orange is one of my favorite colors). Compared to some of the Limited Ed. Nikes available, these Pumas are relatively cheap, ranging in price from $75 for the ladies Clydes to $85 for the GB Special Lux. That's cool.