In the world of custom sneakers, refinement and sophistication in design are just as important as the comfort of the shoes in question. A design student who was particularly proud of his work posted a multi-picture display on NikeTalk recently of a fictional shoe called the Reebok Yamakasi Low. This feat was a final project for a design course. A quick look at the pictures above and below would not be out of place in the board room filled with shoe executives.

This student had connections with a Reebok office in the Philippines and used world class design tools to make this presentation sparkle. I am sure he passed with flying colors but the mock-up of the Reebok Yamakasi Low looks professional. I love the combination of a simple black cross trainer with a nylon wrap that is evocative of Gary Payton’s basketball shoe a few years back. There is a small bit of blue on the edge of the wrap that breaks up the monotony of the black/gray colorway.

I can only hope that Reebok sees what informal connections have wrought and snap up this shoe for next year. I may already have a great pair of trainers to hit the gym but I would consider investing in the Reebok Yamakasi as a way to shake up my workout. To the good people at Reebok, get moving on the Reebok Yamakasi Low.

This interesting Blazer for women features material resembling a blanket. The mixture of grey with pinks and orange reminds you of the type of blanket you can buy at a souvenir shop in the Southwest states.

The white mid sole and hot pink lining are nice touches to these unique shoes. They look to be a good buy for winter and would look good with jeans.

You can get this Nike Womens Blazer Mid Premium on eBay right now for about $65.

This Adidas Flavours of The World pack is themed as Japanese New Year’s Festival. This pack features two shoes – the Micropacer Omisoka and the Masters Omisoka, both of which are loaded with Japanese style.

Both shoes feature the colors of the Japanese flag – red, black and white and lots of interesting details.

The Masters is quite simple and primarily red all over. To me, it’s rather boring despite it’s potential. There are also no stripes on this shoe style. The other sneaker, I like much better.

The Micropacer (pictured above) is loaded with details that make it special, including the Japanese characters for “Micropacer” down the middle white stripe on the side panel.

These shoes are limited, but both are available right not on the Kix-Files online shop in sizes from UK7 to UK11.

The Micropacer Omisoka is priced at $230, while the Masters Omisoka is $125.

Japan’s New Balance has joined with 3 other famous sneaker brands; Stussy, Real Mad Hectic and Undefeated, to create a pack called “Triple Threat”.This pack contains 3 colorful pairs of sneakers. Each sneaker has a colorful shoe upper, speckled midsole, shoe lace lock and the NB 580 logo on the tongue. These NB collaborations are available at Juebankongjian.com.

The first pair is bright with a yellow/black shoe upper. This is a predominantly yellow shoe with a black toe box, side panels and grey backstab.

The second pair has all the trademark features, plus the toe box is in cream color. It looks like the opposite of the first pair, since its toe box is in cream color while the rest of the body is mostly black. The side panels have at least 4 different colors. The mid-sole is a nice chocolate color with speckles.

The third pair has the wildest colors. It has rich browns, dark brown, yellow, black and even pink for the “N”.Still, this pack has the mildest colors and is formal enough to be worn for work.

Of these 3 pairs, I like the last pair the best. The colors are vibrant and would carry off the look for any function.

The Clot Royale collection has just released a M-65 jacket. The upper is made of silk and all black. The jacket has been released at Juice in Hong Kong. via highsnobiety.com

The Rocker’s NYC Dope Throne Collection is now available at the Rockers NYC online store. via highsnobiety.com