Chic and Untroubled

Good afternoon sneaker wizards, RYZ has a mission for you.

Up until July 30th, anybody who is capable of using the download function on their computer can compete to have their art placed on RYZ hi-top.

If you choose to accept this mission, you have the potential of winning $1000 + $1 for every pair of your sneakers sold on RYZ’s site.

To enter the contest, upload your design to the brand’s site and pray like hell that you can get enough people to vote “yay” on your sneaker. The person who gets the most votes from the online community wins.

That’s it. Very simple. The winner will be announced on August 25th.

Good luck. And remember, making the entire shoe one color and then making the shoe laces a different color doesn’t really constitute as a “design” per say. Or when compared to the other sneakers that have already be added to the site it doesn’t.

I love sneakers. I’m very fond of models. But models who make sneakers? Well, for the moment, I like them too.

IMG beach babe Marisa Miller has teamed up with Vans to release a couple of pairs of limited-edition sneakers being called Vans by Marisa Miller. The one hi-top and slip-on will range in prices from $30 to $65, and will be available at Vans stores and Urban Outfitters.

The shoes are covered with faded sunsets and beaches, kind of like the tropical back drops of Miller’s Sports Illustrated Swimwear issues.

The Cali tributes drop on July 16th. In other news, Karen Richter’s dreamy hi-top is still available for purchase. It comes in a predominately blue or red base and features her moody drawings.

Yesterday, I received the following email from “The official McFLY 2015 project:”

“Nike is not using “Back to the Future” or the word “McFly” in its release of the current shoe. Sources tell me that the shoe and apparel company is trying to figure out how just how much NBC Universal, which owns the rights to the film and is the parent of CNBC, wants to associate with this product.”

To which I said, “wah?”

When did I ever right a post about these sneakers? Well, it soon after came to me. I mentioned the shoes in my link round-up the other day. So there you go.

The sneaker that Michale J. Fox wore in one of the “Back to the Future” movies is arriving at a sneaker boutique near, maybe. There are going to be less that a thousand made, for which half of those will be released in the US.

However, Michael and Charles Maloof, the brothers behind McFly 2015 Project, aren’t so impressed: “The Nike Hyperdunks might be inspired by the McFly 2015’s, but the Nike Hyperdunks are not the McFly 2015’s. We strongly encourage each and everyone who wants the ‘real’ McFly 2015’s to sign up on the official McFly 2015 project Web site.”

In short, it’s basically the same shoe from the movie but without the name and slightly different in model style.

The end.

John Maeda — professor, graphic designer, computer scientist, MIT graduate turned sneaker aficionado (phew!) — has teamed up with Reebok once again on another out-of-this-world, literally, limited-edition shoe.

The “Struccess” uses Reebok’s InstaPump Fury as its model and features a predominately black base with a lime green sole and equally bright uppers covered in Maeda’s intricate graphics. The inspiration for this particular sneaker comes from the 9th Law of Simplicity, Failure.

As with most collections like these, there was only a small amount made. 300 pairs, to be exact. And they go on sale today for $200. Some will be sold on Reebok’s online store and the rest will distributed to various sneaker haunts.

Good luck, you’ll need it. The last collection by Maeda sold-out in less than 24 hours. But as the designer said, “if you fail, keep trying - struggle to reach some form of success.” Inspirational for sure.

The L.A. Gear Stardust — the hi-top sneaker that permanently stayed glued to the feet of every fly chick with a side ponytail and Boombox in the 90s — is making its comeback this year.

Similar in style to a Reebok Freestyle Hi, the Dancer was the epitome of everything cool and hip in the sneaker market for women in its heyday, before, of course, the shoe along with the company fizzled out in the late 90s and became Sketchers.

The first installment from this dynasty’s ‘08 resurrection can be found at Patta — the Dutch streetwear store who has graciously created an online haven for those unwilling to cough up the cash for a timely journey through the European countryside to buy streetwear merch — this September.

The new retro model will be sold in nine different colorways, one in particular being limited-edition. A few images, er, inconspicuous teasers have surfaced on the internet, and from what I can gather, this sneaker is going to be very, very bright. But could you think of a more fitting way to welcome back such a star?

After skimming Anya Hindmarch’s online store of shimmery metallic hobos and matching Upper East Side flats, you’ve probably stumbled upon the feature that allows one to place a photograph on a Hindmarch handbag (presumably of a loved one and/or cherished pet).

While these totes are undoubtedly cheesy, their photo technology is being used by a sneaker giant who might make you reconsider, if only for a second.

For nine European countries only, Nike will allow customers who reside in those chosen nations to place photographs from their cell phones onto their sneakers.

Known as Nike PhotoID, the new design feature allows the shoe company to create a custom sneaker that compliments the digital image you sent them via text message. Once again, this only for my friends on the other side of the pond.

Meanwhile, those stateside can customize the Nike “Be True” Hi-top and low Dunk sneaker right now on Nike ID, which allows for much more free-spirited creativity with a wider range of options to play with. Choose your color combinations wisely!