The size? Review of the Year 2016
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Well that’s another year gone in the blink of an eye, and 2016 was an eventful one in the world of product to say the least! It’s been quite a mixed bag of new silhouettes and technologies being introduced to the marketplace, along with the welcome return of once forgotten gems who many people are only laying eyes on for the first time. The level of hype around streetwear as a whole has been at the highest it’s possibly ever been at, and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down one bit. We’ve taken a brief look back at how 2016 unfolded month by month, highlighting some of our favourite products and stories from the past year.
Nike Air Presto Black/Black
Nike kicked off an exciting year of activity with the Air Presto in the trend-driven colour of the moment ‘Triple Black’. The Presto first stepped back into the spotlight last year with a few solid OG colourways from the ‘Original 13’ appearing, and we’ve since seen it evolve throughout 2016 with the addition of Flyknit and winter-ready upgrades.
adidas Originals Tubular Doom
2015 saw adidas Originals bring back the little-known Tubular technology they first dabbled with in the early 90’s, and implemented it into a series of new modern lifestyle models. Finding a home within Yohji Yamamoto’s Y3 line originally, the technology was soon implemented into a series of more easily attainable products which went down a storm. At the time Doom was the latest incarnation to use Tubular, and it’s high-fashion aesthetic meant it blurred the lines between catwalk and sportswear.
adidas Originals EQT Apparel Collection
Our first lookbook of the year, the reincarnated EQT apparel collection made an effort to create 1-to-1 reissues of some of the best pieces from the celebrated 90’s range. Favourites like the sportswear branded sweatshirt with collar detailling and training jackets were very impressive, and it pre-empted a great year to come on the whole for the brand. We’re really looking forward to seeing how EQT evolves even further going into 2017.
A Brief History: Nike Flyknit Technology
Building anticipation ahead of a whole host of Flyknit based releases for the forthcoming year, we took a look back at where the technology actually came from, and how it’s evolved since it’s introduction at the London 2012 Olympics.
adidas Originals Racing 1 & Prototype
Leading the way in a stream of re-introductions for adidas this year, the Racing 1 was quite an abstract style we’ve not seen on the shelves for many years, setting the tone for several lesser known models to be brought back in the months to come.
align Spring/Summer 16
After debuting at the end of 2014, and delivering three more collections throughout 2015, align returned with a newly rebranded aesthetic, trading in the previous straight black identity in exchange for pastel tones and reconsidering the shapes of classic garments.
New Era Vintage Wool Collection – size? Exclusive
In the first in a series of exclusive product collections we built together with New Era throughout 2016, the Wool pack consisted of three 9Fifty snapback caps, each presented in different tones of premium flecked wool and finished off with felt vintage Cooperstown branding.
adidas Originals Archive Munchen – size? Exclusive
Leading the way in what would end up being a total of six colourways released this year as part of our exclusive Archive collection with adidas Originals, this pairing of München worked nicely as a tribute to city series releases from years gone by.
A Brief History: Nike Mayfly
February saw the return of the insect themed Nike Mayfly, a performance model only designed to last you for 100km’s of running before it would finally perish. We took a brief look into the history of the Mayfly and the concept driven story behind it, comparing lifestyle renditions that followed alongside an original pair from 2004.
Hunting for Vintage in Tokyo
A story that found a couple of our staff discovering a whole host of forgotten gems over the course of a couple of trips out to Tokyo the previous year, Japan is still one of the best places in the world to go digging for vintage products.
New Balance 580 – De-Constructed Pack
New Balance began the year strong with a series of new lifestyle collections that took archive products from their range and updated them with new material options. Starting with the 580, New Balance stripped the shoe back to basics and replaced the standard issue materials with premium suede and de-bossed leathers.
Vans 50 year Pro Classic Anniversary Collection
Five decades as an important influence within skateboarding is a long old haul, and not many companies can stand up to the heritage stacked behind Vans. To celebrate this milestone, Vans brought back a selection of original colourways and renditions of the core styles that have helped them become who they are. To coincide with the release we teamed up with five artists to create a series of skateboards that illustrated their love for each style.
Nike Air Max Day 2016
March 26th marks Nike’s calender day officially dedicated to the wondrous technology created by Tinker Hatfield and his team in 1987. This years celebration brought together the powerhouses behind the HTM moniker on a trio of new and updated versions of Nike heritage products.
size? for women Lookbook Spring/Summer 16
Almost a year after the opening of our size? for women flagship space in Manchester, we took to a studio location in the city to shoot the first lookbook, showcasing some of the great product range available instore and online at the time.
adidas Originals Climacool
Dipping back into the 90’s for this bring-back, adidas pulled out a sportswear favourite that’s been long overdue a reissue. The Climacool was fully fitted out with ventilation shafts all along the upper to ensure your feet were able to breath during sporting activities.
The Preview with size?
To help you plan your footwear purchases over the upcoming months, we introduced The Preview, a new film series committed to giving you a sneak peak at exclusive projects we’ve been working on with brands, alongside some great launch products from the usual suspects.
A Brief History: Nike Air Presto
Ahead of the impending Flyknit variation that was due to release within the same month, we took a look back at the history behind the obscure Nike Air Presto and it’s impact on the innovation of Nike footwear since 2000.
Converse – My Chuck 70’s
Trying to categorise a product that suits just one consumer is much harder than it’s ever been, it’s become a lot more familiar to see a shoe span a range of subcultures rather than be pigeonholed. We took a look at the way in which the Converse Chuck 70 can be added into almost any style seamlessly by talking to a cross-section of creatives from both London and Manchester.
Reebok Classic Insta Pump Fury – size? Exclusive
We’ve always been excited to work on projects with Reebok, and to say we were keen to work on the Insta Pump Fury for the first time would be an understatement. A duo of monochrome colourways that were identical flips of eachother, we employed a circular weave into the underlay to bring a bit of texture through into the tonal story.
size? Madrid
Madrid was the destination of choice when we were considering options to open up our first door within Spain, situating it on the busy shopping street of Gran Via. Giving the staff some time to settle in, we headed back over to have a chat with them for our Selected By Series and find out what we should get up to in the local area on a visit to the city.
Umbro Pro Training Collection
A strong element of Umbro’s archive is their output from the 90’s, during an era when they sponsored Manchester United and England and produced subtle but heavily graphic orientated shirts. Bringing them into the present day for 2016, The Rig Out took to the beaches of France with the latest Pro Training range for an exclusive lookbook feature.
ASICS GEL-Kayano ‘Lavender’ – size? Exclusive
Following on from the ‘Trail’ pack in 2015, we teamed back up with ASICS to present another collaboration on the iconic GEL-Kayano. A two shoe pack consisting of a luxurious suede in a light lavender hue, and an all white leather variant, the collections key focus was as a premium material story.
Champion Spring/Summer ’16 Collection
Champion have always been at the top of their game when it’s come to creating hardwearing, classic sporting apparel. This year’s been no different with several range’s that nod to it’s past within American athletics. For the Summers season’s drop, we took their latest offering out onto the streets of Manchester for a test run in the sun.
adidas Originals NMD PK White
A flipped colourway of the original black OG number that introduced the NMD series back in December 2015, each rendition of the Boost supported runner seems to fly off the shelves (both physically and digitally) within minutes, cementing the style as one of the most exciting we’ve seen in recent times for adidas Originals.
Nike Mayfly Woven
Last seen back at the end of 2013 with a selection of colourways that didnt stick around for very long, the Mayfly Woven was reintroduced back into Nike’s main line earlier this year. Colourways for both men and women were created this time around, including the much lauded sand pair which everyone found themselves waiting in anticipation for.
The size? HQ Lock-up – adidas Originals Gazelle
In celebration of the upcoming return of the perfect Gazelle, we delved into our head office stash of vintage shoes and pulled out a few original pairs of Gazelle that demonstrated the way in which the shoe has evolved over the years.
size? & adidas Originals NMD ‘Future Creator’ Series
Continuing adidas Original’s global exploration of the future and to celebrate the launch of the latest NMD range, we partnered up with the brand to produce ‘The Future Creator’ series of films. Taking staff from a selection of our European stores, each was able to explore a range of futuristic technologies being produced within the worlds of music and art.
Nike Palais of Speed
During the European Championships being played over the summer in paris this year, we were fortunate enough to head over with Nike and check out their Palais of Speed experience. Transforming the historic Palais de Tokyo Museum into a bespoke football environment, Nike explored the history behind the Mercurial franchise and it’s present day standing in modern football culture (we also played in a football tournament that we unfortunately lost!).
adidas Originals Archive München – size? Exclusive
The München’s styling sits perfectly within the classic City Series collection it was originally a part of, and before being brought back as part of Gary Aspden’s Spezial project with adidas Originals last year it was only ever exclusively produced in Japan.
PUMA Clyde OG
One of the most recognisible collections in PUMA’s history is undoubtedly their basketball range, with the Clyde sitting at the heart. Walt Frazier’s signature shoe with the brand, it later became synonymous among the Hip Hop culture of the 80’s, with BBoys recognising it’s potential as a great shoe to break in.
New Balance 801 Vazee – size? Exclusive
For our latest collaborative project with New Balance, we dipped into their archive of performance footwear to revitalise a forgotten model. Originally a trail shoe from the late 90’s, we updated the 801 with a modern Vazee sole unit to transform it into a contemporary, modern day lifestyle product.
Nike ‘Then & Now’ Olympic Pack
Building anticipation for the Olympic Games held in Rio during August, Nike present a collection inspired by the past, while also looking forward to the future. Reincarnating previous shoes from Olympic campaigns gone by, they’ve also produced new reinterpretations of the Air Pegasus 92, Air Presto and Classic BW with new material and construction updates that still encapsulate that Olympic spirit through their colourways.
PUMA Fenty Fur Slides by Rihanna
Since starting the beginning of the year off with the self titled Fenty trainer and quickly following up with her Creeper rendition, Rihanna’s collection together with PUMA seems to have gone from strength to strength. The third style to come from the range was her Fur Slides, an update to the classic ‘flip flop’, elevated to a premium level with the addition of faux fur across the strap.
Reebok Classic Re/Cut Phase One
The second installment in our exclusive Re/Cut series in collaboration with Reebok saw the Phase 1 Pro stripped back to basics in two monochromatic versions. Celebrating 30 years since it’s introduction on the courts back in ’86, our premium update combined a selection of different leathers sitting on top of a thick nylon mesh underlay.
Nike Air More Uptempo
The OG black/white colourway of the More Uptempo came and went so quickly earlier in the year that we didn’t even get a chance to talk about it! The Navy ‘Olympic’ release soon followed, and then we were treated to this premium number. A full white leather offering finished off with a gum outsole across the bottom, this was a stark contrast to the sporty aesthetic of the first release.
‘Beyond the Sea’ – size? Summer Lookbook
Featuring our latest range of summer appropriate attire, we headed to the beaches of Brighton during the hottest period of the year to take a look around the historic seaside town and see what it had to offer.
size? & The Rig Out – UK Classics film series
Over the course of August, we teamed up with The Rig Out on a series of short films touching on music subcultures that held their own throughout the UK during the 90’s. The subjects ranged from original pioneers like the Heartless Crew to modern day youths who weren’t there the first time around, but are heavily influenced by the movements in the present day, with both the sound and style resonating with them.
Nike ‘Ale Brown’ Pack
A nod back to some of the great Quickstrike release packs of years gone by, the Ale Brown collection featured four of Nike’s most iconic runners, all taking on a similar colour palette and material options, but applying the choices in varying combinations.
New Era ‘British Summertime’ Pack – size? Exclusive
After the release of a couple exclusive collections we worked on together earlier in the year, we switched the cap shape up for the summer and pulled together a collection of stripped back ‘dad’ style 9Twenty caps in four summer suitable pastel colourways.
adidas Originals Yeezy 350 V2
We couldnt pull a years review together without talking about the obvious goliath that has been Yeezy. Once again, every style that’s released hasn’t sat around for long, in particular the 350. This year it got itself a little visual upgrade, altering the height of the booty, remolding the midsole unit and disrupting the primeknit pattern.
adidas Athletics Z.N.E. Collection
Continuing to evolve and innovate on the apparel front as well as footwear, the Z.N.E. Collection was a range built with the athlete heavily in mind. Created as a garment to wear before competing, helping you get into the mental zone in preparation prior to a big game.
size? x Dave White x Nike Air Max 95 DW
Re-kindling our relationship for a third time, we collaborated with Dave White on a pairing of Nike Air Max 95’s. The pack took inspiration from Dave’s ‘Albion’ Collection, which sees Britain’s native species re-imagined in White’s signature style, which was then replicated on each of the waved panels across the upper.
Converse Essentials Collection
Broadening their product offering with a new range of apparel, Converse present the Fleece Essentials pack. Consisting of minimally branded sweatshirts, overhead hoodies, t-shirts and fleece bottoms, the materials used on each piece are designed to get better with time. We enlisted the help of The Basement to wear the range and create a lookbook utilising areas they spend most of their time at within the city.
adidas Originals Stan Smith Winterised
In preparation for the winter and wetter times ahead, we teamed up with adidas Originals on a pairing of Stan Smith, re-upholstered with hardwearing leather uppers to combat the rain and keep your feet dry.
PUMA Suede Season
Working closely together with the brand, PUMA spoke to three young creatives around the UK currently forging ahead within their respective creative fields, finding out what makes them tick and exploring their working process.
adidas Originals Archive News: An Interview with Gary Watson
The eagle eyed among you may already be aware that we worked alongside graphic designer Gary Watson and the rest of the Spezial team in creating the artworks for our latest Archive collection. We managed to find some time to ask Gary a few questions about his design practice, and his own obsession over the visual identity of adidas over the decades.
A Brief History: Nike Air Footscape
Towards the end of the year Nike began reintroducing certain variations of the eccentric Air Footscape back into the wild, starting off with the Motion and the Woven Chukka ‘Wool’, with more due to arrive in the new year. Via the collections of some of our HQ staff, we took a look at as many variations of the DNA as we could find to find out what makes the shoe tick.
adidas Originals Athen Launch Event at size? Manchester
To celebrate the reissue of the OG blue/white Athen, we invited local adidas Originals enthusiasts down to our Manchester store to take an early look at the pairs in person, and check out our own display of vintage adidas products from our size? HQ Lock-Up, including an original 1976 pair of Athen.
5 Minutes with CoolRain Lee
After the release of the Nike Air Max 95 DW last month, Korean toymaker took it upon himself to replicate the shoes as scale model miniatures, measuring at just 56mm! We fired over some questions to him to try and understand how he goes about creating these sculptures, and how he’s managed to combine a love for toys and sneakers through his work.
adidas Originals Archive 350 Suede
We feel our collaborative work with adidas Originals over the past years has been the strongest it’s ever been, with a host of new colourways inspired by the heritage behind the brand and specific collections from years gone by. After the 350 arrived as part of Spezial earlier in the year, we took the silhouette and ran with it, applying four colourways in total.
Nike Air Max 97 in Milan
To give us a small glimpse into what to look forward to in anticipation of it’s upcoming anniversary next year, Nike invited us over to Milan to take a closer look at the Air Max 97 and find out a bit more about the impact it had on Italy when it first arrived almost 20 years ago.
adidas Originals Gazelle GTX London – size? Exclusive
We ended the year as we meant to go on in 2017 with adidas Originals, with the launch of our new ‘Cities’ collection that see’s classic City Series colourways applied to the newly updated Gazelle GTX. We began in November with the London, and what better way to kick off proceedings than with a launch party down in the capital!
Nike Lunarcharge
Also finishing off with a bang, Nike dropped a brand new silhouette on us out of the blue to cap off a great year of releases. The Lunarcharge takes strands of DNA from a selection of Nike archive product and uses them to inform it’s latest endeavour. We’re really interested to see how the Lunarcharge evolves going into the new year.
Fred Perry ‘Umpire’ Collection’ – size? Exclusive
Over our 16 year existence we’ve worked on numerous collaborative projects with Fred Perry, and this latest venture paid just as much attention to the details as any other. We worked with them on a new capsule collection for 2016 that draws inspiration from classic pieces, reinterpreting them for modern day living, resulting in ‘Umpire’.
adidas Originals Tubular Shadow
Topping off the year with yet another new shoe, adidas Originals dropped the latest form of their popular Tubular series from last year, the Tubular Shadow. Taking design cues from the celebrated Yeezy series, the Shadow falls in line with the brands current comfort orientated vision for the future of their footwear division.
Vans Old Skool ‘Wool’ Pack
Following on from the trio we released last December, we re-evaluated the success of the last release and created a fully winterised version, making use of heavy wool across the entirety of the upper on each pair. Just like the last, all three sat on top of blacked out midsoles to maintain the overall theme of low-key simplicity.
Air Jordan XI ‘Space Jam’
Jordan brand finished the year off with one of the all time greatest colourways of the fabled XI, the ‘Space Jam’. Updated for 2016, the rear heeltab featured a ’45’ in place of the usual ’23’, something which has never been seen before on a released version of the shoe.
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