THE Year of the Ox will begin on February 12, 2021. Hopefully, the turnover of a brand-new lunar year means better luck for us, because the Year of the Metal Rat was, well, a bit of a downer, to say the least.
Whatever 2021 will bring us, we can be assured of Chinese New Year-themed colorways of your favorite sneakers. It’s become a tradition for the big shoe brands to come out with CNY colorways, and this year, they’re definitely not going to disappoint.
Here’s a list of everything that’s been announced (or, in the case of Steph Curry, leaked) so far. We’ll update the list as it goes along.
Air Jordan 1 Low CNY
Arguably the most decorative looking of the bunch, ox-themed patterns spice up this AJ1’s ‘Bred’ colorway. That tassel is a bonus.
Release Date: TBA
Air Jordan 5 Low CNY
Bright red accents make this AJ5’s sail canvas pop even more. But zoom in on the shoe, and you’ll see a subtle graphic print lurking just below the surface, similar to the bright, colorful pattern found on its box.
Release Date: January 23
Curry 8 CNY
No official images have been released yet, but Nice Kicks claimed that Curry wore these as his Christmas Day kicks.
Release Date: TBA
D Rose 11 CNY
Multicolored patterns liven up this pair’s collar and midsole, with a rich variety of textures across the upper.
Release Date: January 1
D.O.N. Issue #2 CNY
The Chinese New Year version of Spida’s signatures boasts vivid prints in purple, orange, red, and black.
Release Date: January 1
Kybrid S2 CNY
You want wild? Nike’ll give you wild. It’s patterns, prints, and graphics galore on this pair of performance shoes.
Release Date: TBA
Ultra Boost DNA CNY
A wild print is overlaid on the Three Striped cage of this popular running shoe silhouette. Pops of red dot the shoe all throughout (more visible, obviously, on the black version), with a crimson token on the tongue tag.
Release Date: December 31