There’s a certain class of sneaker collector who insists on keeping the boxes. As the culture around collecting them has evolved, some parts of the mythology still ring true. The image of a Nike shoebox full of money remains embedded in the collective digital consciousness of people who grew up reading blogs and forums like NikeTalk.

The notion of keeping your money secure in an orange-tinged box rather than the confines of an unseen bank account remains a hood staple. Meanwhile, the proliferation of Container Store drop-front shoeboxes signifies the rise of a new kind of sneakerhead.

It’s a more casual consumer that doesn’t have that NIGO-like obsession and rapid recall of what box holds which shoe, or the in-house archivist mindset to think to put a picture as a means of organizing a massive collection , realizing that the box is in fact as important as the product in it. Why else would people pay so much attention to tissue paper or document the ways in which Nike shoebox color schemes have evolved?

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Towards the mid-1980s and early-1990s, Japanese manga and anime adopted a cleaner, more minimal look. Countless illustrations portrayed women in a more fashion-forward way, coquettish but somewhere between kawaii and demure.

Looking back now, it’s ripe for reinterpretation by a big fashion house for a campaign, or at least a modern homage by an artist. Like many things reinterpreted and given an elevated twist by the Japanese, when it comes to one artist who seems to be source code, it points to a person who was inspired by the American pop art movement of the 1960s.

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There’s a beauty in executing something relatively simple in a novel way. It’s been a guiding ethos from influential designers like Dieter Rams, and reflected in modern icons of design like Apple, Braun, and Eames. It’s no secret that it’s also been a big inspiration for the HIDDEN design language.

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Perfecting the existing isn’t about reinventing the whee…

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It’s known that Yohji Yamamoto has a bit of a thing for cars. In the past he’s dabbled in supercar collabs, and in a well-loved short film he’s waxed nostalgic about his daily driver, comparing his own car to a girlfriend where the relationship is equal parts about appreciating what you have and developing a real bond that matures over time.

Now, Yamamoto’s Y-3 is taking that enthusiasm to the grid with a partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 team. The accompanying campaign features drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, but also includes a surprise appearance from F1 legend Toto Wolff, the team’s CEO. The visuals convey the dynamic partnership in way that reflects what make F1 beautiful—the striking moments of calm during the constant chaos of a Grand Prix.

The collection brings back a striking Wolf motif, inspired by Japanese mythology and originally from adidas’ F50 Tunit cleats from 2006. Representing a mythical guardian in the animal kingdom who symbolizes speed, instinct, and bravery, here it also doubles as a sly nod to the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS drivers and the man leading them.

Sticking to Yamamoto’s signature black-and-white color palette, the capsule collection also features a print inspired by smoke billowing from the team’s race cars and other graphic iterations of the wolf, toeing the line between racing gear, football kits, and the unique relationship between Yamamoto and adidas. Further, the collection will be on full display on the grid when it gets worn at the legendary Suzuka circuit during the Japanese Grand Prix later this month.

Wolff recently discussed the partnership in an interview with GQ, speaking to the ways in which the German sportswear giant has at least more than a few things in common with the well-oiled machine that a successful F1 team has to be.

“I think the collection captures both sides of who we are. It feels modern but also refined—there is a simplicity and sharpness that mirrors the way we operate as a team,” says Wolff to GQ. “There’s an energy that comes from being connected to a brand with such a strong identity, and it has translated into a renewed confidence around the paddock and, most importantly, onto the racetrack.”

Funnily enough, Wolff even downplays the coincidence between the prominent Wolf graphic in the collection and his own last name. Pointing out the reference to the 2006 F50 Tunit while nothing that “the jacket is very stylish though and embodies exactly who we are as a team.”

He does add that Mercedes-AMG Petronas is in good company, noting that Y-3 has only collaborated with two other global sports teams in the past: the Japanese national football team and Real Madrid. Being the only F1 team to work with the brand and the iconic designer behind it certainly puts them in great company.

Rounding out the capsule collection is a series of driving sneakers, completing the look from head-to-toe. The Y-3 x Mercedes-AMG Petronas collection arrives on March 19.

In January 2013, Raf Simons’ eponymous menswear line was still going strong. He was only beginning to hit his stride as the creative director of Christian Dior (a time very well-covered in the documentary Dior and I, which you can check out after the paywall).

After making a big splash in the world of fashion with a capital “F,” he then made one of his biggest contributions to the gray area where sportswear, sneakers, streetwear, and high fashion all converge.

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When most people romanticize what the sound of late-’70s and early-’80s Japan was, a lot of them will revert to city pop, the bustling genre of music made popular by digital algorithms. And while that particular genre did generate its fair share of hits and inimitable visuals (for example: It instantly calls to mind the art of Hisashi Eguchi), lately another genre has been coming back to the forefront.

In 1976, guitarist Issei Noro and bassist Tetsuo Sakurai began the first iteration of a band that would become known as Casiopea. The name is pronounced like the constellation Cassiopeia, but spelled differently due to the English version being pulled from Japanese book on constellations with a different translation.

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When Thom Browne sent his latest collection down the runway during this year’s Super Bowl weekend at a special San Francisco show staged by GQ, the designer’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection finished with a surprise. During the finale, models walked out wearing Browne’s upcoming collaboration with Asics.

Consisting of three monotone colorways of the Gel Kayano 14, some models wore them on their feet while others had them accessorized around their outfits, perhaps a cheeky homage to one of the most prominent Jordan shoots of all time.

But it didn’t take long for the photos to do their viral thing. Although many announced it was the first time Thom Browne had done a sneaker collaboration, that’s technically incorrect. Back in 2009, highly influential Parisian boutique colette tapped Browne to design an extremely limited pair of Converse Jack Purcell sneakers.

The upper consisted entirely of Browne’s signature grosgrain RWB ribbon, crisscrossed in a patchwork pattern. However, with an asking price of $1,800—a lot especially by 2009 standards—they remained out of reach for most people. Given that the Thom Browne Kayano 14s are expected to retail around $400 when they come out, that’s a comparative bargain.

But speaking of American designers collaborating with sneaker brands, it’s worth mentioning that one of the more anticipated comebacks of New York Fashion Week is a design duo who all but pioneered mixing streetwear, sneaker culture, and runway fashion.

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This weekend marks the launch of the HIDDEN Hardware Boot and Tasman in collaboration with UGG. The pop-up shop and projection mapping experience starts Friday, February 6 at Extra Butter at 125 Orchard Street in New York City.

Both shoes will release online and at the pop-up on Friday February 6th at 3 PM EST/12 PM PST/8 PM GMT. To celebrate the partnership, HIDDEN has teamed up with four esteemed creative pioneers to reinterpret the collaboration through the lens of their respective practice.

Extremely limited to just five pairs per style, the handmade interpretations toe the line between objets d’art and wearable subcultural artifacts. Here’s a bit about each creative collaborator.

The Hardware Boot by STFUyoutalk2much

STFUyoutalk2much, aka Omi is a mononymous artist from The Bronx who came into prominence as part of the LES creative community. Heavily involved in scenes like the multidisciplinary shop LAAMS, Omi is known for his murals and painting that toes the line between surrealism, pop culture parodies, and old-school airbrush bootlegs. Omi’s take on the HIDDEN Hardware Boot embodies that appeal, applying a signature green airbrush graphic on the upper.

The Hardware Boot By Peter Sutherland

Born in 1976 in Ann Arbor, MI, artist Peter Sutherland once described his work to the team at storied fashion label Dries Van Noten as a “chaotic celebration of life.” Known for his paintings of eerie, colorful landscapes and photographic juxtapositions between industrial imagery, sculptural geodes, and even stickered-out water bottles, Sutherland’s work is a constant interrogation of environments and striking color stories. Sutherland’s reinterpretation of the HIDDEN Hardware Boot combines all those sensibilities, giving the footwear a sculptural element.

The Tasman By JWStudios

Jakob Werner began his design career customizing footwear before evolving into a full-fledged studio. His previous work ranges from elegant adornments of adidas Football boots to an eye-catching collaboration with Japanese footwear label Mizuno on the “Kakishibu” MXR inspired by a traditional dyeing process using persimmons. JWStudios takes a similarly subtle approach to the HIDDEN Tasman, swapping out the sole for a thicker, darker substitution and a darker, vintaged treatment to the suede upper.

The Tasman By Kozaburo

Born in Tokyo, Kozaburo Akasaka originally studied philosophy before honing his craft in menswear and fashion design at the prestigious Central Saint Martins and Parsons School of Design. That landed up a job for Thom Browne, where he learned the ropes during the brand’s most formative and impactful years of subverting traditional menswear. He launched his Kozaburo label in 2011, with an emphasis on melding Japanese craft and philosophy with Western silhouettes, especially focusing on mixing techiques like sakiori weaving and sashiko stitching with denim.

For the Kozaburo x HIDDEN Tasman, Akasaka pays homage to the Japanese philosophy of “mottainai,” a term expressing regret over wasting things. Using repurposed materials and treatments as accents to the shoe, it gains a second life.

The Hardware Boot By Kozaburo

Not to be outdone with one silhouette, Kozaburo Akasaka also applies his talents to the HIDDEN Hardware Boot. Applying a vintaged wash treatment to the soles, Akasaka adds a rugged contrast flannel fabric to the upper, finished with details like turquoise studs, fringe finishes, and industrial staples that give the boots the same Frankenstein appeal of his Travis Scott-approved mash-up dad caps made from different headwear.

Everything exciting about menswear seems to be coming from Japan. It’s no secret that the country that perfected streetwear and Americana is back in the forefront of compulsive shoppers’ minds. While mainstays like Visvim and Sacai continue to deliver bangers, a new crop of brands has emerged and stood out not through creating flashy logos or consistently collaborating with some of the buzziest brands in the game, but doing something novel: Creating nice clothes.

The past couple of years has seen labels like Ryota Iwai’s Auralee and Kazuma Shigematsu’s A. Presse quickly gain steam among menswear dudes and longtime Japanese brand enthusiasts like Chris Gibbs, who recently did an exclusive capsule collection with them for UNION Los Angeles.

But there’s a whole other world of Japanese brands worth checking out, some of which remain relatively under the radar.

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One of the hardest things about digging for vintage designer and luxury gear is the amount of licensed goods that got made in the 1980s and 1990s. As menswear brands like Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren began to take off, luxury brands like Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent sought to get in on the action.

In addition to launching their first menswear lines, many of them also sought the quick and easy route of licensing their names to existing suit manufacturers, who would put out ready-made product in custom fabrics with different labels. This is also why you’ll still find some old Ralph Lauren suits branded with cheaper sub-lines like “Lauren By Ralph Lauren.”

That practice didn’t just extend to suiting, but also other categories like outerwear. On the flipside, certain outerwear companies were also starting to see the potential in courting up-and-coming fashion designers, wanting to get more relevance in the space, sought their talents and brought them on as consultants.

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A little over 2 years ago, the HIDDEN NY Discord community launched, and has since become an important, self-sustaining part of the overall HIDDEN discourse, showing how much the reach of the community has grown.

As we reflect on an amazing year, it’s worth highlighting what the community has deemed their top sneakers of 2025. It has a lot of crossover with the overall zeitgeist in the sneaker conversation, especially when it comes to the love given to Nigel Sylvester, who arguably dropped some of the year’s best collaborations and 100% deserves all the flowers he’s currently getting.

It also rightly gives props to Joe Freshgoods’ consistent ability to create compelling New Balance collaborations, and unsurprisingly rates Tom Sachs’ newest Nike iteration up there too. But what was surprising was the variety of shoes when it came to honorable mentions and nods to newness.

The Yu-Gi-Oh! Air Maxes remain one of the year’s most surprising and unexpectedly good releases, especially with the inclusion of trading cards and regional exclusives. Former Dior footwear designer Thibo Denis (currently at Louis Vuitton) also deserves praise for stepping outside of the box with his new collaboration with Birkenstock, combining his penchant for outdoor style with a fun, chunky upper.

And while the HIDDEN Discord continues to discuss the year’s best releases, HIDDEN has compiled a list of personal favorites too. Feel free to discuss in the chat…

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Not all anime and manga are created equal. While there are plenty that create fantastical worlds and focus on compelling stories and epic fight scenes that can drag on for multiple episodes, there also exists an entirely different genre of stories that do one thing really well: Nerd out on a niche interest.

The manga-ka Shinichi Ishizuka is known for two works that do that exceptionally well, and their subject matter couldn’t be further removed from each other. Born in 1971, Ishizuka began his higher education at the Japanese campus of Southern Illinois University, eventually moving to the United States to attend its main campus. He later transferred to San Jose State university, where he studied meteorology.

It was here that a fellow Japanese friend had admitted to him that one of the main reasons he had chosen to major in archeology was because he had read Naoki Urasawa’s Master Keaton, a manga that was later adapted into an anime that could be described as a mixture of Indiana Jones and Lupin the Third. It showed him that telling a powerful story could profoundly impact people’s lives, and sparked a desire to create something just as potent.

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The Sega Dreamcast made its debut in Japan on November 27, 1998, followed by a North American release on September 9, 1999. In its first week, Sega sold 300,000 consoles in the US and made $98.4 million.

Sega’s follow-up to the Saturn is the result of two highly competitive teams vying for the right to take the Japanese gaming company into the 21st Centu…

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The partnership between HIDDEN x ASICS continues as Dawn turns into Dusk.

The HIDDEN x ASICS Gel-DS Trainer 14 “Dusk” goes night mode, shifting the signature green hues of the “Dawn” silhouette into electric and deep blues inspired by the gradients in a sky transitioning from evening to night.

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The partnership between HIDDEN x ASICS continues as Dawn turns into Dusk.

The HIDDEN x ASICS Gel-DS Trainer 14 “Dusk” goes night mode, shifting the signature green hues of the “Dawn” silhouette into electric and deep blues inspired by the gradients in a sky transitioning from evening to night.

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Even at 86 years old, Ralph Lauren is still showing why he not only remains one of the most highly respected designers in fashion, but continues to represent everything we collectively love about the modern “lifestyle brand.”

For the past 20 years, Ralph Lauren has been the official outfitter of Team USA, kitting them out for a variety of occasions in both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics, but most importantly the opening ceremonies and closing ceremonies.

Today Ralph Lauren just unveiled the latest looks for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, and vintage Ralph Lauren heads in particular are impressed by the smart callbacks to the kinds of hits that made ‘Lo Lifers out of uptown kids.

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The HIDDEN holiday shop launches today, with more drops coming throughout the next ten days. Sort of like an advent calendar, but much more exciting. Even more exciting? All the items will be delivered by Christmas.

For the first release, a couple of new caps and a few socks make the ideal stocking stuffers.

As part of our ongoing partnership with storied sportswear manufacturer ‘47 Brand, today’s release includes a few new “H” logo hats with a strapback closure, as well as a new rendition of the officially-licensed HIDDEN x NY Yankees snapback hat.

The sun-faded treatment takes inspiration from well-worn vintage headwear, resulting in  a cap that will instantly become a comfortable go-to, but will continue to develop a unique patina with more wash and wear.

There is also a capsule collection of socks comprised of previous colorways and newer iterations.

For early access to future releases and member-exclusive items, consider upgrading your HIDDEN.RSRCH membership today.