Our monthly series looks at the top releases from the best brands in athletic footwear. Whether you’re an avid sneakerhead or just looking for the perfect pair to complement your style, navigating the vast world of sneakers can be overwhelming. From understanding where to buy to decoding the latest trends, consider this your road map to finding the perfect pair.
September is a month of change and returns. Summer’s heat slowly starts to fade, giving way to fall’s cool, crisp air and weather. College football and pumpkin spice lattes return. All of those things fit and are a perfect representation of September’s releases. Patta and Wu-Tang return with past favorites, and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese help usher in a new era of footwear stars.
Breanna Stewart goes to Hogwarts
WBNA MVP Breanna Stewart’s latest signature drop is the Puma Stewie 3 “Harry Potter.”
Puma
New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart has often discussed how much of a fan she is of the Harry Potter franchise. It was only a matter of time before there was a collaboration between the two titans. Enter the Stewie 3 Harry Potter. It has a smoke gray upper with a seafoam green Puma Formstrip. Skulls and snakes work their way across the upper, invoking thoughts of Lord Voldemort and the Dark Mark that is sure to please the biggest of Harry Potter fans. Tying the package together is The Sign of the Deathly Hallows on the heel with the Harry Potter “HP” logo and owl above it.
Release date: Friday
Retail: $130
Bodega scores a big victory with ‘Small Wins’
Bodega teams with Asics for the “Small Wins Add Up.”
Bodega
It takes a bit of savvy to make a technical runner look like a feasible option for casual wear. For their “Small Wins Add Up” release, Boston retailer Bodega drafted a version of Asics Kayano 20 into a street-ready option by using soft shades of cream and gray to take some of the edge off the more technical aspects of the shoe. The added hits of green on the Gel tech and speckled midsole complete the look. It all adds up to another win for Bodega’s collaboration history.
Release date: Sept. 12
Retail: $180
Nigel Sylvester hits home with ‘Driveway’ Air Jordan 4 collaborationRead now
An OG Foamposite makes a royal return
The Foamposite One “Royal” is one of Nike’s popular basketball silhouettes from the 1990s.
Nike
Take away Jordans, and everybody wanted no Nike basketball shoe more than the Air Foamposite One in 1997. From then-NBA player Penny Hardaway’s play on the court to the marketing campaign that featured an alter ego puppet of Hardaway named Lil Penny, these were the shoes to have. Here’s a chance to get a pair as close to the original royal blue color as we’ve seen.
The latest take on the royal version of the Air Foamposite One features a slightly brighter blue on the uppers. Everything else about the shoe is a re-creation of a pair seen only in commercials, including a black and blue carbon fiber shank and a mini swoosh with a black and blue outline on the shoe’s forefoot. This a perfect homage to a shoe that many generations have come to love.
Release date: Sept. 13
Retail: $240
Peaceminusone brings the ‘Para-Noise’ for a third time
K-pop star G-Dragon’s Peaceminusone label reunites with Nike for another Air Force 1 collaboration.
K-Pop star G-Dragon adds a personal touch with his own artwork hidden beneath the wear-away upper.
The Nike Air Force 1 Low Peaceminusone Para-Noise 3.0 features different colors for the swoosh logos.
There’s a saying about beauty being more than skin deep. That applies to K-Pop star and Peaceminusone founder G-Dragon’s third edition of the “Para-Noise” series. Like previous entries, the classic Air Force 1 silhouette was used as the base. A solid black leather upper is highlighted by vibrant yellow, pink and blue pops on the swooshes paired with white laces and an embroidered sunflower on the tongue. As expected, the paintbrush stroke across the shoe’s midsole is present. The shoe’s true beauty is underneath the black upper, which gradually wears away to reveal unique artwork crafted by G-Dragon.
Release date: Sept. 14
Retail: $200
Patta digs into its vault to celebrate 20 years
The original Patta x Nike Air Max 1 “Chlorophyll” was released in 2009.
Nike
Patta has been among the most frequent Nike collaborators, providing fresh takes on classic silhouettes. The Air Max 1 is a model that the brand loves to use as a canvas. One of its most sought-after collabs, the Air Max 1 “Chlorophyll” or “5th Anniversary,” is set to return for Patta’s 20th anniversary. The Air Max 1 is dressed with grey overlays on top of a white base, with green accents across the shoe, including the mudguard and the Nike swoosh.
Release date: Sept. 14
Retail: $160
Shedeur Sanders becomes Nike’s first college football NIL signingRead now
Nike adds another Sanders member
The upper of the Nike Air DT Max 96 “Colorado Home” has Black and Vegas gold.
Nike
Nike released the “Colorado Away” colorway of the Nike Air DT Max ’96 to commemorate Shedeur Sanders’ signing.
Nike
Before Colorado kicked off its college football season this past week, Nike announced that it had signed coach Deion Sanders’ son Shedeur, to an NIL deal. What better way to show off the new relationship than to let him debut a new take on his dad’s Air Diamond Turf?
The Diamond Turf 96 will get the proper Colorado treatment with black “Colorado Home” and white “Colorado Away” color schemes. Both give way to a Vegas gold midsole tearing away at the shoe’s upper to represent the ferocity the elder Sanders once played with and that his son does now.
Release dates: Monday (“Colorado Home”) and Sept. 16 (“Colorado Away”)
Retail: $170
The Dunk goes back to school
The Nike Dunk Low “Syracuse” is a callback to the brand’s “Be True to Your School” campaign from the ’80s.
NIke
In 1985, Nike introduced the Dunk and solidified it as its go-to college hoops shoe by introducing the “Be True to Your School” campaign featuring seven high-profile colleges and universities, including Syracuse. Nike returns to those roots with a more authentic form of the Syracuse colorway. As with many Dunks from that period, a solid white leather upper is paired with the school’s color. The ’24 version features a shade of clay orange that will turn heads and make mascot Otto the Orange proud.
Release date: TBD
Retail $115
Wu-Tang is for everyone
The Wu-Tang Clan x Nike Dunk High is a potential shoe of the year candidate.
Atmos Tokoyo
The original Wu-Tang Dunk debuted in 1999 with only 36 pairs available. Fast-forward 25 years, and there may be no need to “Protect Ya Neck” as the Wu-Tang Dunk is set for a more widely available release. The Nike Dunk High “Wu-Tang” is the canvas for a simple yet beautiful execution of taking Wu-Tang’s iconic black and yellow logo and applying that to the shoe. The shoe’s white midsole is the perfect balance and counter to the shoe’s black and yellow upper. Also featured on the shoe is Wu-Tang’s logo on both sneakers’ lateral side and tongue.
Release date: TBD
Retail: $150
Jae Tips creates a ‘To Do List’
The tan/pink version of one of two versions of the Saucony ProGrid Omni 9 from the “To Do List” collection.
Jae Tips
Designer Jae Tips and Saucony include kids’ sizing for the Shadow 6000 model.
Jae Tips
Late last year, New York designer Jae Tips released his second collaboration with Saucony and asked us, “What’s The Occasion?” Jae Tips created a theme called “To Do List” for a four-pack of sneakers to be worn while running errands and meeting goals. The Saucony ProGrid Omini 9 and Shadow 6000 are meant to be fun, and they use pink, red, blue, and brown hues to convey a message of effortless style. What makes this release even better is that the kids can get in on the action with their own version of the Shadow 6000 with its bright color scheme of purple, blue, and green to complement the more subdued tan adult version.
Release date: Aug. 23
Retail: $180 (adults), $85 (kids)
Angel Reese debuts Reebok’s first performance basketball sneaker in a decadeRead now
Angel Reese announces her arrival with Reebok
The “Reebok by Angel” collection includes an icy blue take on the Classic Leather.
Reebok
WNBA player Reese has been making statements on the court all year in the league as she helps lead her team to a playoff berth. Reese and Reebok are now set to make their first off-court statement together. Reese is known for her in-your-face, braggadocious play on the court. Off the court, she’s shown a softer, fashion-forward side of herself. Her “Reebok by Angel” collection fully embraces that.
Take the iconic Classic Leather model. Reese keeps things simple and versatile by pairing the white upper with a blue Reebok logo on the side and a silver heel tab. Hits of blue appear across parts of the midsole and the tab on the shoe’s tongue. Bringing everything together is Reese’s motto: “When they sleep on you … tuck them in!” printed on the insoles.
Release date: Aug. 23
Retail: $100
CAYL takes a New Balance runner off-road
CAYL and New Balance combine for an off-road take on the 1906R.
New Balance
Korean outdoor brand Climb As You Love, also known as CAYL, takes New Balance’s 1906R silhouette and gives the runner a makeover, turning it into more of a Columbia or Merrell trail shoe at first glance than a traditional 1906.
Gone are the traditional open mesh uppers and laces. A knit mesh replaces them, allowing a view of the see-through quick lace system. A combination of muted yellows and gold on the uppers perfectly represents the changing colors of fall leaves. Instead of worrying about tying a runner’s knot, a simple dial turn secures the feet.
Release date: Aug. 23
Retail: $170
P.Andrade and Asics are buggin’ out
Hues of green and purple adorn the P. Andrade x Asics Gel Kayano-14.
Asics
Brazilian brand P.Andrade mixes a slew of colors into a harmonious look for the Asics Gel-Kayano 14. The palette draws inspiration from P. Andrade founder Pedro Andrade’s Brazilian background and a small beetle native to the Amazon forest region. The insect’s shiny shell is translated into metallic shades of purple and green for the footwear.
Release date: Aug. 30
Retail: $180
Jacob DeLawrence is a freelance writer, podcaster and occasional menace to society. When he’s not creating you can find him in a basketball gym coaching the future or arguing about wrestling on Twitter, @_jdela.
