Mykee Alvero : Adidas Releases Worth Copping in 2014.

Even if Kanye West's forthcoming Adidas line didn't release this year, 2014 is looking good in terms of sneakers coming from the Three Stripes. Now, if only most of the heat manages to find its way to local stores.

As a consumer, I can't help but get a little let down when you find out a brand doesn't carry the things you like. It all started sometime last year with the re-release of the Mutombos. I walked into an Adidas store and asked some of the staff if they would be carrying them in any of the colorways. I wasn't too disappointed when I heard that they wouldn't, but I was slightly elated hearing that they would be carrying the Crazy 97 - those shoes Kobe Bryant won the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest in.

Photo from http://bit.ly/1cUTYHW

It's been months since then, and I still haven't seen any colorway of the Crazy 97s on shelves beside all the DRose sneakers they carry. As selfish as it might be to say that I need them to complete my Kobe collection, there's lots of other heads out there that let nostalgia factor in their buying habits. It's not hard to see, especially when old Jordans come back out. And as much as chasing after coveted sneakers is mythologized in this culture, it still gets frustrating knowing that picking up a pair of shoes is made harder than it should be.

Hopefully times change in 2014 because there's a slew of Crazy 8s and Crazy 1s set to release this year!

Adidas Crazy 8 "All-Star". Photo from http://bit.ly/KygfBd

The Adidas Crazy 1 "Sunshine". Technically re-released last year, but it would be nice to see these in local stores. Just sayin'.

I don't want to get my hopes up for the two pictured above but I'd like to think there's a good chance of Adidas at least serving up the Stan Smith. In a time before Flyknits became the shoe both sneakerheads and menswear bros liked in equal measure, there was the Stan Smith. It's sleek, minimal, and I'm glad it's coming back hard this year.