The Nike Air Max 1, which has been a classic favorite for years is getting an upgrade with Flywire and other high tech touches. With the upgrades, the shoe gets a new name – Maxim Air Max 1.

This white and red colorway is sure to please as it has always been popular. Look for more information and a release date for these shoes in upcoming weeks. Via Sneaker News.

The Transformers character Barricade was brought from the big screen to a pair of Nike Dunks recently by Diversitile Custom Clothing. Barricade is a Decepticon who turns from a police car into a robot in the blink of an eye. I found these photos at Diversitile’s Customsnkr.com blog linked here.

The Barricade Transformers Dunks are filled with enough images and markings to make you think that these shoes will turn into a Decepticon. Diversitile painted black and white panels to symbolize Barricade in police car form. On the middle panel, the designer added a nice version of Barricade’s police shield in blue, white and black. The heel has the words Emergency Response framing 911, adding to the police car effect. Barricade’s slogan “To Punish and Enslave” is written in white cursive letters on the collar.

I thought the Barricade Dunks were great before I looked at the heels. In the middle area of the heel, Diversitile applied a miniature license plate as well as red brake lights to complete Barricade’s disguise. After looking at the design elements on the heel, I think that the Barricade Dunks were a stroke of genius. If you are in the market for a hot pair of Transformers Dunks, you can get a pair in size 9.5 by contacting Diversitile at [email protected].

To be released in the first week of February, these All Star Hi kicks are a result of a collaboration between Sophnet and Converse. Sophnet, which is a Japanese company celebrating their 10th anniversary, will likely have more information closer to the release date at Soph.net.

The most unique aspect of these kicks is the zipper on the side. Outside of the zipper, the detailed stitching is also quite catchy. Overall, the black and white colorway really adds to the smooth feel of these sneakers. The black canvas and the shape of the shoe makes this release instantly recognizable as Converse All Star Hi’s. Via High Snobiety.

Nike has collaborated with Kay Yow to design products for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The new series of Nike Pink Products has the goal of raising money to fight cancer. This pack of pink colored Hyperdunks will be sold at House of Hoops branch store at 3 locations. This edition of Nike Hyperdunks is a very special edition. There is matching Nike gear. All products under the pink project will see their proceeds benefit Kay Yow’s cancer fund. The collection will be released on Feb. 1st, 2009.

Kay Yow, the women’s basketball coach of North Carolina State University, has gone on a medical leave because she has to take care of her health. Yow has breast cancer for the third time.

The pink colored sports shirt, or singlet, has “NC State” to signify Yow’s home state and team. It has her logo on it. The Nike-Kay Yow basketball has a pink Nike swoosh and Kay Yow logo. The positioning of the two logos is neat.

The Nike Hyperdunk is pink with off white or grey colored accents. Kay Yow is honored by having her logo at the tip of the tongue. The pink shoe is pretty and will look good as a casual dress shoe. (Images)

This makes you go Woo Woo! Yes, it’ supermodels on skateboards! They’re sexy images of Isabeli Fontana, Lara Stone, Toni Garrn, and Edita lay on the boards. This is a product of Doodah made possible by fashion photographers Claudia Knoepfel and Stefan Indlekofer. So hunky skaters, what are you waiting for? Switch to Doodah Supermodel Skateboards now!

Designer Candi Kaye Johnson from Team Sneaker Vixen turns old and new shoes into pieces of sneaker art. Johnson works out of a Washington D.C. studio to make custom sneakers that fit the personalities and preferences of clients throughout the United States. The Monarch Butterfly Van Half Cabs shown in this post demonstrate the designer’s ability to make good customs without using tons of design elements.

The base shoe is a light gray Van Half Cab with dark gray toe box. Team Sneaker Vixen chose the monarch butterfly as a primary design element that would stand out from this bleak canvas. On the toe boxes, Johnson painted off-center monarch butterflies including a part of a butterfly’s wing on the left toe box to imply motion. The sides of both shoes have full-sized images of monarch butterflies, standing out in orange and black glory from the plain gray background.

You can learn more about Team Skate Vixen’s work at the Facebook page linked here. While the Monarch Butterfly Vans do not do justice to the designer’s superior design skills, they are successful at showing her craftsmanship. Just like the experienced chef asking young students to show their skills by making simple omelets, sneaker artists reveal their strengths and weaknesses through basic customs.