As they have done previously, Adidas has made another shoe using an event or festival from a specific country. This time, China’s Qing Ming Festival is the central theme in this shoe. These kicks are another in the line of Adidas’ Flavor of the Month.

Qing Ming means “clear and bright”. In April, they enjoy springtime and tend to the graves of departed ones. As it is very windy, kite flying is a very popular tradition as well.

While these are surely not athletic shoes, the detail and color scheme make a very nice looking shoe. Most of the colors used are in the red family (fire engine red, maroon, pink). The shoes are also produced with a vintage look – intentionally aged by using an off white as a base color. If you are of Chinese heritage or you want to celebrate the Qing Ming Festival, considering copping a pair of these kicks.

These are limited, but you can get them at Overkill and other shops for about $170 USD.

Do you like Chuck Taylors? If so, these kicks by Cause should also interest you. Using Chuck Taylors as inspiration, Cause came out with a series of shoes that are simple yet somewhat unique.

Each shoe, both the Hi and Lo, uses the same silhouette, but each is created just a little bit differently to give the sneaker its own look. For example, one of these shoes uses polka dots, while another shoe uses a zigzag design. While these are obviously not Chuck Taylors, the shoes do a good job of adding a little pizazz to the Chuck Taylor inspiration.My personal favorite is the basic grey version pictured above.

You can get these right now from Flauge. Via Hypebeast.

New Balance has brought up its latest Elements 576 Collection. The main theme is inspired by Chinese Taoism. It says that the universe is composed by the elements. This Elements collection features only 3 out of the 5 elements. They are Earth, Wood and Water.This Elements Collection is sold in limited numbers.

Each Element has details that are specific to its own. For example, the Earth Element features brown colored contrast stitching. There is a medial pattern that reminds about the layers of earth sediment. The colors of the materials represent the Earth.
The Wood Element has a black and green design to represent the bark of trees and leaves. The Water Element wants to convey serenity and tranquility with its blue/white colorway. The transparent rubber outsole represents water.

Each Element shoe has distinctive Chinese features. The medial side of each shoe has the Chinese word that represents the shoe’s respective Element.

This Elements 576 Collection is being released on staggered dates. Each pair costs USD $100. The Earth Element was released on April 1st.The Wood Element will be launched on May 1st. The Water Element will be sold from June 1st onwards.

Billionaire Boys Club/Ice Cream has recently launched some T-Shirts at their Tokyo store. Here are a sample picture of the tees. [BBC/Ice Cream Blog]

Upper Playground has released three New Eras for this April 2008. These new eras are designed by Jeremy Fish and Sam Flores. See more pics after the jump. [mashKULTURE]

Fitted Hawaii has decided to release new items this saturday April 5th, 2008. Dubbed as the Royal Hawaiian, the pack consists of the t-shirt and hat. The purple color on the t-shirt represents royalty. The hat features gold, red and green on the Pirates logo in a raised embroidery stitching. [Fitted Hawaii]