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Just when we got bored with the state of sneakers, the trinity of Hiroshi, Tinker and Mark returns, bringing another Mark - performance design ace and Innovation Kitchen denizen Mark Smith, for HTM2. If that doesn't excite you from a conceptual point-of-view we feel bad for you son. So what do we get this time? Some nice Uptowns with contrast stitching and plush leathers? Nope. HTM2 is simply that next shit. This here is a site built on the back of the Alpha Project's classics, and the development of Presto. Just as say, Marc Newson's Zvezdochka sold modestly before informing the next generation of madcap modular pieces, designs we felt underachieved like the Presto Tent (not a shoe we liked from an aesthetic standpoint) and the Sock Dart (underrated) weren't in vain - they led to silhouettes like the Run Boot. And that's something to be extremely thankful for. This isn't some cobbled-together tribute to obnoxious futurism either - it's a genuine performance creation that's got us momentarily hyped - usually laceless creations aren't our thing, but that perforated forefoot layer and vast, flexible Free 7.0 sole unit is an exception to the rule.

Looking like an Aqua Sock on steroids, this succeeds at design and comfort level. Where the Rift and Footscape sequels were a bloody letdown on some 'Robocop II' flex, this could have been marketed as a Presto follow-up with that reinforced heel and elasticated upper, but fortunately it's way more than a rehash. A lot more. To opt to use this experimental, high-end wing of Nike as a launchpad for next gen pieces rather than tried and tested ones is a serious statement-of-intent. We don't play that old "street art" nonsense, but that forefoot Swoosh branding that's seemingly sprayed on, looks incredible, building on that ol' Haze Dunk funk, and Tinker's distinctive lettering for the logo is deep too. The contrast rubber toe on this black and white (the best of the bunch) makeup is a little bit Chuck Taylor, Jack Purcell or All Court, but that doesn't hinder the progressive spirit in the slightest. Waterproofed and available in high and low variants Alas, no fancy slide-out boxes this time, but we get the distinct impression that Portland and Tokyo's own Crooklyn Dodgers style supergroup didn't put this one together with hoarding in mind. The HTM2 Run Boot should be arriving at Tier Zero hotspots like London's 1948 very soon.