The holidays arrived a little early with the leak of catalog picture for the 2008 Nike SB line. The new line introduces some new models and tweaks some other more familiar silhouettes, while still providing a wide enough variety of colorways to satisfy skaters, collectors, skurbsters, hip hop rockers, haters, skhaters, and whatever other buzzwords magazines try to pin us down with.

The next evolution of the E-cue/Zoom Tre family tree, The Zoom Tre AD, is pictured above in colors reminiscent of the Danny Supa designed Dunks from the very first SB release. While it’s hard to really judge from pictures alone, the Tre Ad appears to be much more streamlined than the original Tre, which always looked a little clunky if you ask me.

Rumor and speculation surrounds the first images of the above Dunk Hi. According to Todd Jordan, the SB line is working on a Dunk inspired by the Heaven’s Gate cult, which gained notoriety for a mass suicide in which all participants wore the exact same pair of Nikes. Whether or not this is that sneaker, or if those plans come to fruition remains to be seen, but regardless of the story, this is a great looking simple Dunk that will undoubtedly be in very high demand.

The P-Rod II takes to the sky in high top form in 2008. While this may not appeal to the average skate rat or collector, the design seems similar to the Nike basketball sneakers that an older generation was ripping in before companies like Vans came along. The white cement print is a nice touch as well. It’s amazing the difference a change in tones can make to an otherwise played-out pattern.

As the P-Rods are building up, the Blazer SB has scaled down into a low top model. This comes as a bit of a surprise, as I’m not sure what exactly this shoe has to offer that the Classic SB doesn’t. Technical specs aside, the shoe itself looks good and retro SB models are always an easy sell.

The flagship of the SB line is the subject of constant experimentation and 2008 appears to be no exception. The placement of intense prints seems to be more thoughtful though, even if some of the blinding colors remain. While the palettes and prints are a bit too much for some, the above pairs will still catch the eye of those who are willing to venture away from all black all the time.

Simple, clean colorways continue to be given to the Classic and Harbor SB’s and I, for one, could not be happier. Here’s hoping that Classics get a little more shine in 2008.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 10th, 2007 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Shoes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.