This week’s Hot Cakes are filled with thematic sneakers spanning the gamut of colors and materials. Whether you want to cop a pair with a message for environmental awareness, a pair that glows in the dark, a pair in support of skating equality, a pair to remind you of “the good old days” or a pair that changes color from heat to celebrate techno music, brands have you covered. Let’s jump right into it.

Union x Air Jordan 4 “Guava”

Los Angeles is the center of the sneaker world this week – celebrating Mamba Week but also giving us another spectacular Union x Jordan collaboration. I personally prefer the Union x Air Jordan 4 “Noir” pair more for wearability but I had to choose the “Guava” as the pair to cop because it’s the Union exclusive colorway and thus, more elusive. Also, it is quite possibly one of the most exotic color combinations I’ve ever seen on a sneaker, and I love it. With all its ties to vintage culture and “the good old days,” Chris Gibbs really hit the spot on this one. If you manage to get yours hands on these through unionjordanla.com, I’d stock them, the prices on the Union x Air Jordan 1 have all continually gone up and I expect the same for the 4s. – Matt

Release Date: August 29, 2020
Retail: $250
Resell pre-release: $1,800 – $2,700

Civilist Berlin x Nike SB Dunk Low Pro Quickstrike

I can’t help myself with all these amazing SB collaborations hitting accounts one after another. Civilist Berlin has taken the Dunk Low Pro to another level with their treatment of the upper. Seemingly a normal black finish, the material is actually thermo sensitive and changes colors when exposed to heat. Civilist explained that the wild rainbow colors are a nod to the techno and rave culture of the ‘80s and ‘90s in Berlin’s Mitte district. “It references a grey and boring working week that gives way to a colorful weekend in Berlin’s techno clubs🍭💊🕺.” I love this concept so if you manage to grab a pair through a skate shop’s raffle, these are rock. Civilist’s online raffle is currently open only to European residents. – Matt

Release Date: August 29, 2020
Retail: €100 EUR (~$120 USD)
Resell pre-release: $900 – $2,500

atmos x adidas ZX 8000 G-SNK

Japanese retailer atmos will release a larger number of their collaborative adidas ZX 8000 G-SNK this weekend. Originally only available via lottery to 300 lucky winners, the wider release this weekend of the glow-in-the-dark model is a welcomed treat. With glowing green panels sporting a scale-like texture, the yellow and brownish pony hair is the perfect complement. These will only be available through atmos for Japanese residents via their web store lottery system. Get that proxy ready, these are a stock for me, Halloween is around the corner after all. – Matt

Release Date: August 28, 2020
Retail: ¥15,400 JPY (~$145 USD)
Resell: $350 – $575

Noah x adidas SL72 (Blue/Core White/Lush Red)

We all love Noah and basically anything they touch. So when news broke out that the NYC-based clothing brand is reworking the iconic SL72 shoes, we kind of lost it. The brand is pulling inspiration from adidas’ extensive archive and the iconic running shoes of the ‘70s. Noah is incredibly environmentally conscious, which is why this version of the marathon-running shoes comes with an upper made up of high-performance recycled materials (Primeblue) containing 50% of Parley Ocean Plastic, as well as suede detailing (not to mention the brand’s logo). They’re raising awareness for plastic waste in our oceans so this pair is to be rocked! It will be available on noahny.com, select retailers and adidas.com. – Sahar

Release Date: August 27, 2020
Retail: $100
Resell pre-release: $180

Unity x adidas Skateboarding Coronado

I’ve been really into skateboarding these days and these shoes get me excited to skate more. The rubber sole is perfect for grip and sturdy enough for a smooth ride. I like that the sole is not too wide so you can still feel your board as you glide. The tongue on the shoe is a bit longer than the average sneaker which is perfect for the wear and tear of skating, preventing laces from tearing apart due to friction. In collaboration with Unity, an Oakland-based LGBTQ skateboarding project, the shoes have an all black design with a white pop logo on the tongue, great for skating or as an everyday shoe. Releasing on Friday, you can purchase from adidas.com. – Natasha

Release Date: August 28, 2020
Retail: $75
Resell pre-release: N/A

Photos via Union LA, Civilist Berlin, atmos, adidas