A Ma Maniére Serves an Air Jordan 4 “Dark Mocha” in This Week’s Best Footwear Drops

 The year is quickly coming to a close, but before we start unpacking a new year of releases, there are more holiday drops to look forward to. Per usual, we’ll walk you through last week’s top footwear headlines before diving into this week’s top releases.On the feature side, we announced this year’s cohort for Hypebeast100, with the collaborator of the year award going to Levi’s. Meanwhile, we also offered a round-up of the various kicks Steph Curry has been wearing since declaring his sneaker free agency.As for the news, UNDEFEATED continued the Nike Air Max 95 anniversary celebration by announcing a city-exclusive pack of colorways. The rumor mill came with two big Swoosh-related headlines as well: a One Piece x Nike Air Max Plus “Devil Fruits” collection and an Air Jordan 4 “Pink Thunder” colorway. Jordan Brand also had its rumored Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Banned” leak.Pivoting to the Three Stripes, Jerry Lorenzo confirmed that the Fear of God x adidas Era is officially ending this month. Hartcopy also reunited with the brand, covering the EVO SL in polka dots as an F&F-exclusive. For New Balance, the 2002R has been readied in a new set of “Protection Pack” looks that all feature GORE-TEX. CNCPTS prepped another footwear collaboration, this time teaming up with Birkenstock for a Boston “Felt” pack. Rounding out the week, Avirex and Timberland came together to rework each other’s most iconic designs.With all of last week’s major moments revisited, let’s look ahead at which drops are expected to take place this week, starting with the latest from Rich Paul x New Balance. Afterwards, be sure to hit up HBX to see which styles you can cop today.Rich Paul x New Balance ABZORB 2010Release Date: December 17Release Price: $180 USDWhere to Buy: New BalanceWhy You Should Cop: Rich Paul is more than just LeBron James’ agent. He’s grown Klutch Sports Group into an influential sports agency, began a partnership with New Balance, and most recently, created a new podcast with Max Kellerman. In continuation of his work with New Balance, the two have prepared a take on the ABZORB 2010. “Plum Brown” and “Burgundy” go back and forth throughout this premium mixed material build that incorporates sturdy leather and diamond mesh.Palace x Nike Air Max Dn8Release Date: December 17Release Price: $200 USDWhere to Buy: SNKRSWhy You Should Cop: In case you missed out on Palace’s debut of its three Air Max Dn8s, SNKRS is set to bring back two of them this week. The new duo brought a lightning motif to the shoe’s upper, with “Safety Orange” accenting each pair. The pairing that’s set to drop again is the “Safety Orange and Particle Grey,” as well as the “Black and Safety Orange.” Shouts to Palace are included at both the forefoot and tongue, the latter of which sees a Tri-Ferg intersected by a Swoosh.Carhartt WIP x Salomon X-ALPRelease Date: December 18Release Price: $200 USDWhere to Buy: Salomon & Carhartt WIPWhy You Should Cop: Carhartt WIP and Salomon a