We'll commence with a disclaimer - these aren't modified in any way, shape or form for skateboarding. adidas just allowed team members to rework the mighty Nizza Hi to their hearts content. That's not to say they're not skateable, but you'd probably thrash 'em with the same speed we annihilated overpriced Chuck Taylors with amateurish ollies back in the day. Dennis Busenitz, Team O' Connor and Mr. Mark Gonzales all have their own individual aesthetics, and as is the way with skaters, are creative thinkers on the design front. It's good to see the Nizza rising in stature over the last few months, thanks to a hefty push from Originals, after a few wilderness years where it was written off as a budget, foppish indie muppet shoe of choice. no longer. The shape feels more authentic on the current brace of 3Way and fivetwo3 releases, and fortunately, the three members came through with the cleanliness, albeit with some fairly subtle personal touches.


Gonz flips the traditional canvas, with a 3-Stripe colour not dissimilar to an OG makeup, but added brush strokes around the collar, 'Gonz' heeltab and a red outsole. Tim adds some safety yellow and black suede, with a correlating yellow bumper, while Dennis, with his unbroken record of banging makeups, opts for all brown nubuck, even over the traditionally rubber toe 'bumper' panel, with red 3-Stripes and a gum outsole, offers the best of the trio. There's Gonz apparel to match, but these reinforce a great year for vulcanised adidas classicism, with a few of the colours set to hit the Crooked Store imminently...