crooked tongues magazine News Features

Remember when Nike put out a Dunk that was reportedly inspired by Joe Strummer? That seems to upset a few people. Well, this Nike "Clash" pack isn't inspired by the band at all — it's a Euro 2012 tie-in, except it's pretty loose. Still, we prefer that to a Clash tie-in - the Futura collaborations are as close as we'd like to see Nike getting to them. This is about the football, turning geezer friendly white-on-white pub shoes into something a little more energetic by riffing on the current Nike Football boots that Rooney and company are breaking out at the moment. 2010's emphasis on visual acuity with the Mercurial Vapor that summer has been amplified to the white to colour fades that this year's top tier silhouettes are bearing. We've come a long, long way from the days of ostrich leather and a touch of white on the branding. The original Cortez in its heel tabbed OG form gets the Tiempo Legend IV's black via a spray-effect on the laces and the Tennis Classic AC gets the CTR360 Maestri II's blue, while the increasingly popular Air Max 1 gets electric green on the outsole as well as the details.

The glossy heel emboss unifies each pair and the footbeds carry some details too. Some of these football collections can feel a little tenuous, but between the Wovens and these pristine basics, but if you appreciate the strange union of the running and tennis shoe with British football culture, there's a certain sense to proceedings. Take away the dip fade on those laces and switch 'em for white and you've got some no frills footwear. While the quality on the Tennis Classic is good (the Air Max 1 is decent, but it isn't quite on the same level), we'd have liked to have seen the colour collision on the actual upper of these shoes to echo the boots. When it comes to the laces, it's a simple case of should they stay or should they go (sorry) to decide whether you want them to look like basics or some high-end Sports Direct steez. These NRG releases are kind of alluring as a pack and they're on sale in the Crooked Tongues store now...