SOLE TRAIN: Letters from the Editor 002
PublishedThis content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission.
It’s been a hell of a week, thankfully it's almost over. You’ve obviously seen it all over the internet.
I mean, how did Jack Harlow and LaRussell think they were going to get away with releasing music like that without Twitter coming for them immediately? Wild.
I’ve been so stressed out, I thought maybe I could get my mind right with some strategically placed nodes in the outsole of my footwear but no, a bunch of people who probably aren’t even going through anything beat me to the punch just to put them on the secondary market for like 4x retail. You guys aren’t even trying to level up your focus, engage sensory areas of the brain to help you stay present, or connect with your surroundings everywhere you go. Such bullshit.
It’s like if I want a pair, the only way to actually secure them is going full Dutch van der Linde on a passing train. Not that I ever would, I’m doing a high honor play-through this life, but I’d be lying if I said the thought didn’t cross my Nike Mind.
Speaking of which, who has eyes on the Cool Kicks guys?
"Thieves use metal saws and bolt cutters to extract the merchandise and pass it along to associates in vehicles running parallel to the train. In some cases, the thieves have activated the emergency brakes on trains traveling up to 70 miles per hour, according to court testimony."
"Investigators retrieved cases with 1,800 pairs of Nikes from the two vehicles and stashed for later pickup in a drainage pipe near the tracks. The shoes were Air Jordan “Son of Mars Low” models slated to be available to the public starting May 1..."
Going behind bars for Son of Mars is a tough look.
This isn’t an isolated incident, either. Trains and trucks full of sneakers have been getting jacked left and right for a few years now, with thieves making off with millions worth of sneakers. Though it primarily affects Nike and Jordan, other brands and designers are feeling the effect, too. At the NYC premiere for his Aged Well documentary, Joe Freshgoods told a story about most pairs of his Performance Art 3-pack of New Balance 993s getting robbed from a train in Chicago before they could be delivered to his warehouse. He had to get as much cash out of the bank as he could and drive around the city buying them back from the masked middlemen for $40 a pop just so he could give them a proper release.
Can you think of a more broke activity than risking your life robbing a moving train, just to get a bunch of Team Jordans and have to sell them for like $20/pair on Craigslist?
Only answer that comes to mind is Scottie Pippen’s Twitter. This hall of famer is selling all his stuff and shilling crypto nonstop on the timeline, giving peak web3 crypto bro. Any day now I’m expecting to get a “GM” WhatsApp from him.
I’m never going to knock someone’s hustle, but Pippen could be super chilling, watching his sons ball out at a high level, listening to some Future, and enjoying retirement. Instead, he’s offloading all of his iconic Bulls memorabilia, including MJ’s game-worn shoes, and posting unhinged AI videos to help prop up crashing Bitcoin and a 5-years-too-late web3 project.
After all of the fanfare surrounding Nike bringing Jason Williams aka White Chocolate back into the fold to drop his Zoom Hyperflight PEs at All-Star Weekend, and Supreme teaming up with Nike SB to introduce a brand new low version of Charles Barkley’s Air Max 2 CB 94s, the Swoosh does not seem to be “bullish” on Pippen, dropping a Chicago-themed colorway of the ‘95’ Air Max Uptempos with no mention of the iconic player who made them popular back in 1995. Maybe he has to stop being like Satoshi and be like Scottie again.
Recently on the Blog
Our managing editor Nick Vlahos spoke with Andrew Chen, founder of the brand 3sixteen for an interview about his longtime relationship with Jason Faustino of Saucony and how their new collaboration came to be.
Nick wasn’t done exploring relationships through the lens of sneakers, either. He chatted with Spurs star Dylan Harper about playing against his brother, looking up to Wemby, and his new GT Cut 1 Unseen Hours PE.
Staff Writer Zach Harris covered everything Nike is dropping for Air Max Day, including the new Air Liquid Max silhouette.
To kick off March Madness, our own Juan Martinez pitted rivals UNC and Duke against each other in the court of PE sneaker opinions.
Bam Adebayo somehow scored 83 and the internet lost its collective mind. Definitely a memorable night in the NBA but I truly wish I could forget the Wilt, Bam, Kobe emoji T-shirt.
We broke down Week 4 of Supreme SS26, which included the Maison Margiela MM6 collab and the first-ever zip-up Box Logo Hoodie.
We learned more about the Virgil Abloh Archives, the new print periodical his team is releasing called The Reader, and all of the details for the upcoming AJ1 Alaskas release.
Lots of Air Max 95s dropping and being announced, including a full family size run release of the Big Bubble Neons. Hopefully you got a pair, but either way, here’s an Air Max 95-inspired playlist put together by the whole Sole Retriever team.
Drew oversees content at Sole Retriever and hates writing in the 3rd person soooo I'm going to stop. I've written for countless blogs and magazines, from Complex to XXL and everywhere in between. Spent a long time in LA, running content and working on branded collabs at The Hundreds. Now, I'm back home on the East Coast freezing my ass off. Email me at drew@soleretriever.com with scoops, story ideas, and size 13 heat.
