In this iteration of our our weekly lineup of Nike releases, find proof that Nike offers great design week by week. From a Grade-A steak-inspired AM90, to the return of a Fat Joe favorite in the form of an AF1, and a Knicks-styled Penny Hardaway Huarache — this week is a pre-season frenzy, with Nike pulling out all the stops for the ballers on and off the court.

Please note: Some sneakers may sell out at speed.

Shop this week's best Nike sneaker releases below

Air Max 90 x Wagyu 'Black and Anthracite'

Release Date: September 12

Editor's Notes: Grade-A, ethically sourced, and fresh. Nike taps up burgeoning New York streetwear label Wagyu for a beefy Air Max 90 in all-black leather. As crazy as the cow head logo on the heel and the hide-covered toe box sound, there's a streak of individuality running throughout this shoe that's quite easily missed at first glance. Rounded out in premium leather with big bubble tech, this one rises above rest of the herd.

Book 2 x Chevy 'Metallic Red Bronze'

Release Date: September 10

Editor's Notes: Nothing screams Americana more than Nike and classic cars, and Devin Booker combines both for the Book 2 x Chevy in Metallic Red Bronze. From the Chevy Impala 'Pretty Penny' that inspired this collab, to a sky-blue K5 Blazer, Booker and Nike's collaboration shows off a love for both footwear and automobile design. The Book 2 has a laidback sunday ride in its DNA.

Air Jordan 7 Tennis Day 'Phantom and Lime Blast'

Release Date: September 9

Editor's Notes: Tennis and basketball have each had huge years in 2026, but here Nike pulls it back to the last hey-day for both sports, with an early nineties inspired Air Jordan 7. From the Lime blast and Pink sole details to the old-school Jordan logo on the tongue, this Jordan is nostalgic for the world of Sampras vs Agassi as well as Jordan vs Thomas.

Sabrina 4 "The Switch"

Release Date: Available Now

Editor's Notes: So many sneaker releases come in neutrals, but Sabrina Ionescu and Nike march to the beat of their own drum with 'The Switch'. Not just a flashy collaboration, the Sabrina 4 is a nouveau basketball icon with a track and field inspired FlyPlate for accelerated plays. Designed to make a statement, on and off the court, the Sabrina 4 "the Switch" is not for the faint of heart.

Air Zoom Huarache 2K4 Penny Hardaway 'Varsity Royal and Safety Orange'

Release Date: September 10

Editor's Notes: 2026 has been the year of the New York Knicks, and the new Air Zoom Huarache 2K4 is a call back to the y2k era of basketball. From the 1 Cent logo on the heel to the Huarache 2k4 logo, the DNA of Hardaway's iconic 04 original are scattered throughout. Whether you're breaking a 53-year old streak to win the championship, or playing a pick-up game on the weekend, the Penny Hardaway is steeped in Knicks history and will be you lucky talisman accordingly.

Air Jordan 12 'Summit White and Gorge Green'

Release Date: September 12

Editor's Notes: Few silhouettes project luxury like the Air Jordan 12. But the new Summit White and Gorge Green colorway embodies this more than most. From the sunrise-inspired stitching across the upper to the blue/green reflective plate on the side, there are lots of details to love about this AJ12.

Air Force 1 Low x Terror Squad 'University Red and White'

Release Date: September 9

Editor's Notes: Nike is back again with the Bronx icons Terror Squad in a crisp University Red and White. From the TS logo to the JC initials on the heels — a reference to Fat Joe's 'Joey Crack' Nickname — this collaboration is much more than a new coat of paint for the AF1. Subtle nods to the fans, and a premium upper are all part of this Y2K inspired Air Force, and show that Nike is a hip-hop head like the rest of us.

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Part of regularly pushing the boundaries of athletic stability and aesthetic curiosity is making weird shoes cooler than what was previously thought possible.

The Y-3 GSG9 Sandal, released as part of adidas and Yohji Yamamoto's Spring/Summer 2026 collection, takes a tactile approach to standard sandal rituals with its utilitarian outsole, crisscrossed strapping and contrasting suede and leather textiles, all unfurling in shades of nude and cream.

If the muted tones of the GSG9 inspire thoughts of combat-ready footwear, that's definitely by design. Even if most hybrid shoes have an inherent playfulness, the GSG9 draws inspo from some serious field runners.

The utility-forward design and tonal paneling pull inspo from the original GSG9 tactical police boot, adidas' 1970s boot designed for Germany's elite counter-terrorism police unit. It's basically a police boot — on vacation.

Quiet as it's kept, this isn't the first time adidas has found inspo in the armed services. Those tactical BW Army Decon sneakers that have taken over the flat (if not collapsed) shoe circuit? Yeah, those were actually made for Germany's military. This, of course, was long before they became the style icons they are today.

From boots to flat sneakers to sandals inspired by said boots and flat sneakers, adidas really does get in the field.

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The 1890A is a three-way cross between a classic moccasin, a technical running sneaker, and a dairy cow.

Up top, the 1890A wears a textured faux-fur cow-print pattern with cream suede paneling, pucker-toe stitching, and rope-like laces.

These fixings round out the sneaker-moccasin's unstructured, relaxed vibe that looks perfectly out of place atop the shoe's segmented rubber outsole that's fused with New Balance's proprietary Stability Web technology, which provides stability at the midfoot.

Animal-printed moccasins blessed with a talent for the track? Talk about a holy cow.

Now, cow print has really been having its way within the style space as of late, so it's not that surprising to see New Balance, the king of weird little shoes, jump on this herd-happy trend. Who does weird shoes like NB?

Such has happened before with the Miu Miu (Moo Moo?) inspired 204L or the cattle-licious 610. Why not add a moccasin to the mix?

Where leopard, cheetah, and snakeskin dominated the animal-print style circuit for a while, cow print has been slowly creeping up the ranks as a go-to print for coats, pants, and sneakers galore. The world is finally recognizing bovine excellence for the utterly delightful enhancement it is.

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The beauty of the Nike Air Jordan 4 Pink Thunder, aside from its aesthetics, is that it reframes an undersung legacy layout through a softer lens. Following previous spin-offs like the Red and White Thunder releases, this pair swaps out intense primary accents for a muted pink hue set against deep black nubuck. 

That velvety black base creates a striking backdrop, allowing the pale pink hits to pop without overwhelming the silhouette's legendary shape.

Rich black suede wraps the entire upper, while pale salmon-pink mesh peeks through the side panels and vamp netting. Matching pink accents highlight the winged eyelets and tongue lining, balanced by a clean white Jumpman emblem on the tongue and heel for sharp contrast.

The signature Air Jordan 4 midsole features a pink accent stripe framing the visible Air unit in the heel. A solid black rubber outsole with classic herringbone traction pods completes the foundation.

The Air Jordan 4 Pink Thunder proves that subtle color shifts can breathe new life into an iconic framework. We all know how popular Jordan revamps are, especially when they have lineage like this. Pink Thunder is a highly anticipated addition to the 2026 Jordan lineup.

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Thankfully, adidas knows you don’t have to splurge to get in on the loafer action. Its latest Handball Spezial takes the classic sneaker and gives it a penny-loafer-shaped twist, and honestly, the result is much better than it has any right to be.

Obviously, the Spezial has been having a moment for a while now, but this version feels like it was made specifically for this time of year. The brown suede and gum sole are about as seasonal as footwear gets, while the loafer strap gives the familiar silhouette a slightly smarter edge without taking away what makes the original so good in the first place.

It also taps into the whole sneaker-loafer thing without going full office shoe. You could wear these with trousers and a nice shirt, sure, but they’d look just as good with a pair of baggy jeans and whatever knit you inevitably end up wearing three days in a row once the weather turns.

Really, though, it all comes back to that brown suede. There are plenty of ways to dress for fall, but a good brown shoe does an awful lot of the heavy lifting for you.

And at this price, you might as well let adidas do the shopping.

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As part of adidas Originals by Simone Rocha’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection, the designer has taken the popular Taekwondo and given it a proper ballerina treatment.

The result is the Simone Rocha Taekwondo Ballerina, a low-slung little number that sits somewhere between an adidas sneaker and something you’d expect to see on an actual dancer.

It’s a strange combination on paper, especially when you throw in the red ribbon laces, pearls, and diamond-like embellishments. Yet somehow, it all works. The Taekwondo’s sporty shape keeps the shoe from drifting too far into balletcore territory, while Rocha’s additions make it considerably prettier than your average pair of trainers.

And while you could obviously lean into the whole ballet thing, tiny socks, skirt, the works, it’s arguably more fun worn with clothes that have absolutely nothing to do with ballet. Let the dainty shoe sit there and cause problems.

Consider this your sign to stop pretending ballet flats are just for ballerinas. The Taekwondo Ballerina has other plans.

The Simone Rocha Taekwondo Ballerina is available to shop on adidas' app.

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Fall is officially falling, and like me, you may have thought the first sign would’ve been the yellowish leaves dangling from their once voluminous branches, but you’d be mistaken. The first real indicator was the abundance of straight-leg dark-wash jeans suddenly up in my face. 

I won’t sit here and school you about why certain shades (and fits) of denim are unilaterally associated with specific seasons. They just are. Spring and summer are light-wash and baggy, fall and winter are indigo and straight-leg. It’s not a rule, per se, but you’d be hard-pressed to convince me otherwise. Anticipating this and clocking said jeans on numerous colleagues just last week, I knew it was time to embrace the darkness. Uniqlo, naturally, had the answer.

I’ll be honest, the JW Anderson x Uniqlo collab had somewhat slipped off my radar. But at the end of the day, my fellow Irishman knows how to make a damn good pair of denim. The best part of any decent straight-leg, darker-wash pair is the structure. They can’t be overly soft or slouchy, they’ve gotta be able to hold their own against whatever heavy hitter you’re pairing them with. Unlike a summer jean, an understated flip-flop simply won’t cut it.

In my case, I’ve gone for the comfiest sneaker in my rotation, but trust me, they’ve got no problem stepping up to a hard-wearing loafer, either.

Then, of course, there’s the little JWA laser print on the ass. It’s tiny, but you know it’s there, and that’s really all that matters. Not that these jeans need the extra endorsement. The navy wash and straight-leg cut are more than enough to make them stand out on their own. They’re cut a little longer, too, which means they’re best worn with a roll at the bottom.

We may not always like to admit it, but denim says a lot about the kind of guy you are. Maybe you’re the artsy type who embraces the spills and stains, convinced that jeans should be “lived in,” or maybe you like your denim on the straight and narrow. We won’t dwell on that. Me? I’m starting to think I might be the latter.

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Not ideal. But also not a reason to count out Nike. Not yet. It's just that, when the sportswear giant inevitably turns the corner, it won't be the Nike you knew.

A lot of reactions to the news of Nike's removal from the S&P 100 could be summed up as "about time." Nike's been the king for so long that its fall was inevitable, and isn't it always satisfying to see a titan stumble?

It's true that several post-COVID-19 pandemic missteps opened Nike up to unforeseen challenges, but I'd argue that, in reveling over the humbling of a king, commentators are missing the bigger picture. (also, anyone chalking up Nike's short-term downfall to personal grievances with a faceless multinational conglomerate ought to touch grass.)

Upon joining Nike — and unretiring, to do so! — Hill outlined a multiyear turnaround plan intended to bear fruit in 2026. It was later pushed to 2027 and, frankly, I'd say even that sounds optimistic. There's a lot of work to be done, much as investors and hangers-on hate to hear And CEO Hill's attempts to pacify investors don't not come across a tad frantic. But only Nike has the strength to achieve it.

The problems cut deep. For one, during the pandemic, Nike made a pivot towards lifestyle product and direct-to-consumer sales while shirking its wholesale business. This brought short-term growth and long-term damage, minimizing shelf space at retailers and normalizing deep discounts.

For another, Nike's got to repair its cultural cache. It famously lost the performance-shoe-to-daily-driver sneaker battle to HOKA and On a few years ago; its lifestyle business is facing stiff competition from old rival adidas and upstarts like Saucony; and its grasp on the athleisure market is challenged by brands like Lululemon and Alo (Nike is estimated to represent nearly 32 percent of the American athleisure market; Lululemon is 21 percent). Industry analysts no longer look to Nike as reflective of the "athletic performance footwear" market.

But numbers only tell part of the story. Recall how shocking it was when, in 2013, it was widely reported that Nike's best-selling sneaker was the Air Monarch, a then-unknown ultra-chunky shoe that predated modern "dad shoe" trends.

There's a lot more going on beneath the surface than any of these companies will ever let on. In many ways, Hill's strategy of returning Nike to being a sportswear brand first, lifestyle second, appears to be bearing fruit. Nike is credited for "winning" the 2026 World Cup and, anecdotally, I've seen a ton of people walking around wearing the Vomero Premium and Vomero Plus, Nike's surprisingly steezy cushioned-running-shoes-turned-all-day-walkers.

It's just that right now, the tides of culture are simply not in Nike's favor. It's funny that a company that's selling out of even its mildest limited-edition drops can also be considered "uncool" but such is the squishy state of our collective taste. Remember, however, that even when longtime Nike partner Supreme was "dead," it was still moving product (to some degree).

Of course, now Supreme is as hot as it's ever been and Nike will be the same, in time. I know I'm comparing a $500 million company to a $46 billion company but vibes are everything, for both hype and share prices.

But when Nike does reclaim its throne, this won't be the same Nike it was a half-decade ago.

Much like the Supreme of today looks similar but different to (and cooler than) the Supreme of five years ago, the Nike of the future will be far removed from the Nike of 2021. It'll have to be. Culture has little patience for Nike as it is known. You can turn out all the good stuff you want — if the vibe isn't right, it won't matter. (Again, even when Supreme was "dead," it dropped plenty of solid gear.)

Nike will be back on top. It's too big not to be. Like, Nike may be exiting the S&P 100 but are any of its rivals anywhere near the S&P 100? adidas isn't even on the S&P 500 and look how long it took adidas to reverse its fortunes (which are still not guaranteed). On is up and down, affected by the same headwinds slowing Nike's revival. Same for PUMA. Deckers, parent company of UGG and HOKA, is consistent but hardly all-powerful. And do any of them have the name-brand cache to compare with Nike?

There's a lot of race to run before anyone gets close to Nike, which was and remains the king. Expect many more fancy sneakers in the meantime.

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That makes eyewear a surprisingly natural fit for a sport that has spent the last few years expanding well beyond the business of racing. The modern F1 paddock has become a meeting point for fashion, design, technology and hospitality, with brands increasingly looking for ways to attach themselves to the teams, drivers and culture surrounding the championship. Some partnerships are primarily about visibility; others make a more convincing case for why the two parties belong together.

The arrival of Audi Revolut F1® Team is particularly interesting in that context. 2026 marks the manufacturer’s first season competing in Formula 1 as a full factory team, following its takeover of the Sauber operation. Audi Revolut F1®️ Team has arrived with its own car and power unit, and with a growing network of partners around it, as the team continues its long-term pursuit of motorsport excellence in one of the most visible and competitive arenas in motorsport.

And among those partners is ic! berlin, which became the team’s Official Eyewear Partner at the start of the 2026 season. On the surface, it is another brand joining the increasingly crowded F1 ecosystem. Look a little closer, though, and the logic is fairly straightforward. ic! berlin has spent more than three decades approaching eyewear through the language of engineering, developing thin stainless-steel frames, a screwless hinge system and lightweight constructions designed around flexibility, durability and comfort.

The relationship also arrives at an interesting moment for both brands. In its continued pursuit of racing excellence, Audi Revolut F1® Team is putting all its factory-backed motorsport focus into its Formula 1 entry, while ic! berlin is bringing a design philosophy developed in Berlin into a scene increasingly interested in what exists beyond racing.

At Monza, we saw how that looked in practice, with the ic! berlin team taking us from its own production story to the centre of Audi Revolut F1® Team first F1 season.

The team's presence in Formula 1 is, of course, bigger than a hospitality programme or a collection of partnerships. The manufacturer entered the championship with the intention of establishing a long-term factory operation, developing its own hybrid power unit in Germany and competing under its own name for the first time. The 2026 season is effectively year one of a project Audi Revolut F1® Team has said is aimed at challenging for championships by 2030.

The scale of that ambition becomes easier to understand once you get inside the operation. At the Marcolin showroom, ic! berlin’s team explained how its frames are engineered and manufactured. The brand became known for thin stainless-steel frames and its screwless hinge system. When manufacturers initially proved reluctant to produce the construction, the founders invested in their own machinery. Around 80 per cent of production is now carried out in-house.

There is plenty of engineering packed into something that can disappear on your face. ic! berlin works with stainless steel, titanium, acetate and carbon fibre, including its patented FLEXARBON material. The eight-layer construction is around 0.7mm thick, while the front of one frame weighs approximately two grams.

It is this obsession with small margins that the team and ic! berlin are attempting to connect. The eyewear brand’s frames are designed around reducing weight, increasing flexibility and eliminating unnecessary components. Formula 1 operates at an altogether more extreme scale, where fractions of a second and grams of weight can become competitive advantages.

Ahead of the Monza Grand Prix, ic! berlin Managing Director Davide Lunghi told us "ic! berlin's commitment to performance engineering and innovation over the past three decades has met the perfect match in Audi Revolut F1®️ Team as we join them in their continued mission for success at the pinnacle of motorsport"

That idea now forms the basis of ic! berlin’s first campaign with Audi Revolut F1® Team, featuring Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Shot by Rupert Tapper with creative direction from Leif Podhajsky and Sophie Holm-Nielsen, the campaign uses motion blur to place the frames within the visual language of racing. Its tagline “From 0.5 mm to 300 km/h” makes the connection fairly explicit.

At Monza, though, the power of the partnership came into 20/20. With perfect vision, it’s much easier to see just how much the details matter. From the construction of a two-gram frame to the engineering of a car travelling at 300 kilometres per hour, the same principle keeps surfacing: remove what you can, refine what remains, and assume that the smallest details will always matter.

“A cross between a Yugoslavian fullback and a ballerina.” “Part brute, part beauty.” “Legs like sequoias.” 

These aren’t the kind of descriptors you’d think of when describing a style icon, and yet, John Malkovich has always defied easy classification. That’s his charm. The hulkingly elegant actor really is an enigma of strength and an almost sensual lightness — able to contort himself into seemingly any role. He’s played unhinged, villainous assassins and manipulative French aristocrats and even a surrealist meta-version of himself. 

But while his onscreen career may be one long exercise in chameleonic transformation (as one would expect from an actor), Malkovich has consistently played one role for decades: fashion enthusiast. 

This was evident last week, when he stepped onto the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival in an instantly unforgettable Dior fit: slouchy black wool suit, offset in its ordinariness by an explosively frilly shirt — fitted with a Shakespearean neck ruff. It’s something that could’ve only come from the theatrical mind of designer Jonathan Anderson. But really, the fit could’ve only been pulled off by someone as in command of their own contrasts as Malkovich. 

That command isn’t new. Malkovich understands the power of clothing better than most, and his love for it has run concurrent with his career. He took a costuming class in college and worked in the wardrobe department of Chicago’s historic Steppenwolf Theatre Company. (He’d go on to join the ensemble as an actor, winning an Obie Award for his acting within six years.) 

It was his first proper step into fashion, walking for the COMME des GARÇONS HOMME PLUS Spring/Summer 1990 show, that marked the merger of his two worlds. He’d go on to star in Prada’s first-ever menswear campaign in 1995 and has modeled for the likes of Yohji Yamamoto and JW Anderson over the years. (The JWA linkup to Dior red carpet look feels solid here.) He’s played French couturier Lucien Lelong in the Apple TV series The New Look, and even tried his hand at building brands — designing, sketching, and picking the fabric for three short-lived fashion labels in the 2000s and 2010s.

These ties to fashion may be as much a part of Malkovich as his filmography, but it’s style, in the grander sense of the word, that guides him. “I’ve always referred to style as being the only constant in life,” he told Port Magazine last year. “[It’s] a way of regarding the world and perhaps a way of perceiving the world around you, and maybe even a way of behaving in that world.”

The philosophy should serve him well in the months ahead: judging by the early rave reviews for his new film Wild Horse Nine, directed by Martin McDonagh and co-starring Sam Rockwell, many more iconic Malkovich fits are on the way.

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The BW Army is such an enduring staple because of its radical simplicity. Free of loud external logos, the design relies on clean geometry, soft textures, and low proportions. 

By trading traditional white leather for dark navy and charcoal, adidas elevates the vintage military runner into something that feels much more like its luxury counterparts. Texture is the key.

The upper is crafted from premium overdyed dark navy canvas, which has a beautiful, uneven texture. The base is reinforced by cracked leather T-toe and sidefoot overlays that nod directly to its 1970s military heritage. Unbranded side panels keep the silhouette sleek and understated, while subtle trefoil debossing accents the tongue alongside contrasting charcoal hits.

The shoe sits atop a classic low-profile rubber outsole in a charcoal hue that echoes the grey laces, providing subtle contrast while preserving the flat, flexible indoor-court feel of the original Bundeswehr specs.

As adidas rolls out an expanding selection of colorways for the adidas BW Army, some emerge as sports-leaning pairs while others cater to a more style-centric customer. This Shadow Navy pair definitely falls into the latter group. Texture and understatement define this moody staple.

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So it was here, beneath the tallest mountain in the Alps, that Nike brought us to experience what’s next for ACG, its outdoor imprint. Over five days, we climbed, hiked, ran, foraged, camped, and followed one of the world’s most demanding trail races through the night. The trip moved through ACG’s three dimensions — Trail Run, Hike, and Explore — to demonstrate what happens when All Conditions Gear is taken out of the city and put back into the conditions that informed its name.

ACG occupies a space of its own. While it has made a serious name for itself among outdoor enthusiasts, it feels equally at home in fashion. Its archive has kept it culturally relevant even during periods when its place within Nike’s performance lineup was less clear. Now, ACG is making that purpose clear again: an outdoor performance brand built around running, hiking and exploration.

Our first introduction to that ambition came through an unreleased prototype trail running shoe called Picklejus.

The name comes from pickle juice, the near-mythical electrolyte remedy endurance runners turn to when cramps hit, yielding a very strange name for a very serious shoe. Picklejus is ACG’s pinnacle big-mountain trail runner, designed around the long climbs, punishing descents, and volatile terrain faced in races like UTMB.

We first saw it inside ACG’s Chamonix pop-up, where the design team unpacked the shoe’s construction before sending us outside for a short test run. That became the rhythm of the week: introduce a product, connect it to a specific activity, then test it in the conditions it was designed to handle.

Behind Picklejus are three years of athlete input, 10 research studies, 20 prototypes, and testing with more than 100 runners. It is also the first ACG footwear innovation developed through the Nike Sport Research Lab, bringing Nike’s full performance machinery into a category more commonly associated with specialist outdoor brands.

At its center is a soft ZoomX core designed for cushioning and protection, surrounded by a firmer ZoomX ring for stability. A trail-specific Flyknit upper secures the foot, while water-repellent yarns and a gaiter-inspired cuff help keep water and debris out. Underneath it all is GOATEK, ACG’s new proprietary traction system.

The name comes with some history. Earlier ACG footwear used a traction technology called "G Tek." GOATEK carries that same spirit and lineage, reviving a piece of ACG’s technical vocabulary for a more ambitious performance era.

Nike says GOATEK provides 45 percent more wet traction and 25 percent greater abrasion resistance than its previous all-terrain outsoles, and has been tested over more than 18,000 miles of rugged mountain terrain. Those figures sound impressive in a presentation. On wet rock and loose dirt, it becomes much more meaningful.

The following morning, the product changed with the activity. For a Via Ferrata and hiking session, we switched into the Zegama Hike. The shoe takes the lightweight, responsive DNA of the Zegama Trail and adapts it for the comfort, durability and support required during longer days on foot.

We climbed, hiked, ate lunch outside and spent the afternoon foraging before returning to basecamp for a Wild Chef dinner. If Picklejus introduced ACG’s ambitions in Trail Run, this was our entry into Hike. The footwear rotation made the wider strategy tangible: there was no supposedly universal outdoor shoe. 

It also made “All Conditions” feel broader than weather. Conditions change with terrain, temperature, pace and purpose. Running up a mountain asks something different of you than carefully making your way across one, but both rely on trusting what you have underfoot.

The next morning, the mountains raised the stakes. For a longer trail run near the Aiguille du Midi, we could choose between the cushioned Zegama Trail and the faster, more responsive ZoomX Ultrafly. I went for the Ultrafly. On shifting mountain terrain, product descriptions quickly become physical. Cushioning, stability, and traction stop being abstract benefits when you can feel every change in the ground beneath you.

That afternoon, we hiked to an ACG cheering zone and watched runners move deeper into UTMB as the light disappeared. We stayed outside through the night, surrounded by the landscape that shaped both the products and the visual language around them.

For Chamonix, ACG introduced Chamo Camo, a camouflage pattern informed by the granite, limestone, sandstone, forests, shadows and lichen found around Mont Blanc. It appeared across the race kits worn by ACG athletes, as well as a wider footwear and apparel collection.

Camouflage is usually designed to help its wearer disappear. At UTMB, where every brand is competing to be seen, Chamo Camo did almost the opposite. By borrowing directly from Chamonix, it gave ACG a recognizable identity within it. The collection became a link between the brand’s technical and cultural sides. So, performance gave the product a reason to exist, while design gave it relevance beyond the race.

The following day moved from Trail Run to Explore. After an adventurous morning, we returned to Chamonix for the UTMB finish line and a visit to Sentier, where the Chamo Camo collection was presented in full. It revealed another part of ACG’s proposition. Not every outdoor experience needs a race number. Exploration may mean climbing, rafting, or paragliding. Sometimes it's simply choosing a direction without knowing where it leads.

That playfulness matters. As ACG becomes more technically aggressive, it risks resembling its peers in the outdoor industry. But the bright colors, strange names, and irreverent attitude is what makes ACG, ACG. Picklejus may be the result of biomechanical research and thousands of testing miles, but it is still called Picklejus.

At the finish line, the distance between product research and reality became very small. The gear we discussed throughout the week was now worn by athletes running on exhaustion. Every decision made in a laboratory was called back to on the mountain.

ACG’s next chapter is not simply about remaking a culturally loved outdoor label as a performance brand. It is about proving that technical credibility and knowing irreverence can scale the same terrain.

We can wake up now: HYKE’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection includes an actual menswear line. And just like the womenswear that’s garnered it a cult following, it’s really good.

Designed separately from the women’s line but cohering under the same theme, the debut offering debuted during Tokyo Fashion Week. It features a full range of boxy jackets, lightweight shirting, and flowing pants inspired by the US Army’s M-51 Arctic Trousers — just one of the many, many military references packed into HYKE’s consistent oeuvre. Seeing HYKE’s men’s pieces slot so naturally between womenswear, it's hard to believe it took 13 years.

There’s no better time than now. We’re in the midst of a genuinely rich moment for menswear, with labels like a.Presse, ssstein, and Auralee all turning out the kinds of military-inflected yet relaxed silhouettes that HYKE is already known for. By fully stepping into the mix with a dedicated men’s line, the label is bringing over a decade of expertise that sets it apart from the crowded pack. 

That’s because “slow and steady” is how the brand operates. Since founding the brand in 2013, husband-and-wife design duo Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode have quietly perfected a formula: take a shared obsession with vintage workwear and military gear, infuse it into deconstructed GORE-TEX and Pertex and sturdy wool techwear staples, and transform it all into surprisingly unfussy womenswear.

The approach has paid off, with HYKE attracting not only a loyal following of domestic shoppers but also major brands; there’s its on-off partnership with The North Face, as well as previous linkups with everything from Mackintosh to adidas. 

Ode told us in 2024 that HYKE partly began as a way to reshape militarywear into womenswear. “I never liked dressing very feminine,” she said, “so I would end up wearing men’s clothes a lot.” 

Consider HYKE’s first foray into menswear its full-circle moment — and proof that sometimes, the best way to approach a new perspective on design is by considering what you already love to put on. 

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No more plastic. No more packaging. No more chemicals. Made entirely from coffee, Tablì’s innovative tabs bring a new level of precision and simplicity to the everyday brew, without compromising on flavor. To celebrate this launch, Lavazza transformed The Meatpacking Collective in NYC into an immersive space where guests could get a first look at the Tablì, explore different blends, discover other Lavazza products, and experience a completely new way of making their daily cup.

Dubbed the Lavazza 100% Coffee Bar, the activation took place at the US Open—where Lavazza is the official coffee. Seamlessly bringing together the brand's Italian heritage and the tournament’s larger-than-life energy, guests were invited to skip the usual “watch and learn” launch experience and actually get involved, interacting with the full range of Tablìs, up close and personal. Brooklyn-based DJ Linnéa Sanazaro provided upbeat tunes, setting the scene for the over 2,000 guests who passed through the space all weekend long.

The 100% Coffee Bar quickly became a favorite for US Open fans—because when you think about it, fast-paced tennis and premium coffee do kind of go hand in hand. Coffee-lovers could enjoy tastings directly from the Tablìs, as well as a mix of iced coffees and coffee drinks–like the Coco Chock and Caffè Emiliano–straight from the minds of Lavazza's recipe testers. Throughout the activation, Lavazza Brand Ambassadors led demonstrations, making sure everyone could experience the full scope of what the Tablì and its 100% coffee tabs have to offer.

Of course, Lavazza coffee was the weekend's main attraction—however, there was plenty of tennis-related action to go around. Tennis-ball-shaped vanilla and chocolate macarons and affogato servings added a sweet finish to the menu, while in the White Room, guests could indulge in a chill-out space complete with tennis-court-inspired flooring, a net installation, and a dedicated affogato stand, creating the perfect setting to slow down and enjoy even more coffee. And for the real tennis heads, guests could enter a sweepstakes for the chance to win a tennis ball signed by top-ranked Italian professional player Jannik Sinner.

The 100% Coffee Bar at the US Open was the ideal way to introduce the world to the Tablì: a perfect blend of relaxing coffee atmosphere, high-energy tennis culture, and New York's unstoppable on-the-go energy.

Find out more about Lavazza’s Tablì here.