Nike SB Blazer Mid QS Supreme Black

All black skate shapes are the easiest thing in a wardrobe to place. Recipe one: black baggy jeans or loose carpenter trousers with a plain white tee and a black hooded sweat, laces tucked, the shoe reading as part of the outfit rather than the highlight. Recipe two: grey wide leg trousers with a black work jacket, where the mid collar sits nicely under a wide hem. It handles skating, city walking and daily use; it is not a running or gym shoe. Size true to length with a slightly roomy toe if you skate. Suede or leather panels on a black build need brushing rather than washing, and repeated soaking will kill the shape.

Nike SB's history contains the clearest example of what happens when a large brand borrows from a subculture carelessly: in 2005 it appropriated Minor Threat's album art for a tour flyer, drew a public rebuke from Ian MacKaye, apologised on 27 June 2005 and settled out of court. That episode is why collaborations in this corner of the catalogue are judged on whether the partner is real. The pattern repeats in music too, where Nike's unauthorised 1987 use of the Beatles' Revolution ended in a lawsuit and the ads being pulled in March 1988. Against that history, a genuine partner release on an SB silhouette carries weight rather than just a logo.

Skate construction is about surviving abrasion. The Blazer's flat, wide outsole and low profile are what a board needs, since a thick cushioned midsole removes board feel, and the SB versions of the model have typically reinforced the areas a skater destroys first, at the ollie patch on the medial toe and along the lateral panel. The mid collar adds ankle coverage without the bulk of a high top. QS marks it as a limited quickstrike production rather than an inline release. No material breakdown, weight or measurement is published to you here, so verify the upper in hand, and be aware that on an all black build the branding and stitching detail are the only things distinguishing it from the standard model.