“Prepsters” (not my words but theirs) will have a hella-good time checking out two new colorways from Keds made all special for the Brooks Brothers house. Truth be told, the two looks, available in red and navy, are made from rip-stop material which makes them perfect for cycling. While many will rock these out with a proper shirt and shorts, we see them as a more utilitarian shoe this summer. They are made to take a beating while retaining shape. Get them dirty, cycle in them and live life. At $78 a pair, the price is nice. Available exclusively through Brooksbrothers.com

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Timberland move into the Mocassin market. A tan suede shoe made from premium Horween leather and featuring that ever popular Vibram sole, this one follows in the footsteps of some of the better known American Mocassin makers we’ve featured in the past. A simple, well constructed shoe that ticks a lot of boxes at a (relatively) affordable price. Find a pair over at Urban Industry.

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Red Wing of Minnesota has announced a brand new collection of made in Maine footwear – Red Wing Handsewn Collection. They partnered with Lewiston, ME’s Rancourt & Co. for this special collection of completely hand-made footwear. The video is a great introduction to the collection which has been in the works for sometime.

A few more exclusive looks from the factory floor in our gallery…

We had to bring you these. The Alden ‘Ultimate Indy’ in black Aniline calf leather. These flew off shelves when they were first introduced a few years back, they now make a return via Leather Soul who currently offer more versions of this boot than you have days in the year to wear them. Now, some may be shaking their heads at another mention of the Indy. The poster boot for the menswear movement has become, lets say, Ubiquitous. This version however has breathed new life into a classic, that matte black colourway bringing a chalkboard vibe and generally smartening the whole thing up.

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Nike’s unveil of their Olympic innovations today in New York featured strong focus on their new Nike Flyknit yarns and fabrics that have been engineered primarily to help the reduce the overall weight of a running shoe while retaining strength. As a technological advance, this Flyknit “yarn” opens the doors for changes across all Nike sport’s shoe, including football, over the course of the year. The HTM models are completed knitted from Flyknit yarns rather than pattern cut from fabric, and all sit on Nike Lunar soles, including the Lunarlon

More grand from a design view is the new opportunities that Nike Flyknit yarn offers the shoe form itself in terms of pattern, color, and tone. This aspect of Nike Flyknit was shown through the unveiling of the Nike Flyknit HTM collection. HTM, an acronym for the design collective of Japan ’s Hiroshi Fujiwara; Nike designer, Tinker Hatfield and Nike CEO Mark Parker, himself a Nike shoe designer during the start of his career. The output is a three-shoe collection – two HTM Trainer + and one HTM Racer – showcases what is possible in terms of design with Flyknit.

You will of course need to view and handle Flyknit footwear to really understand the weight and texture. Like all HTM shoes in the past, they are extremely limited in production and only available in New York, London, and Tokyo.

PS: additional future colorways of the HTM Flyknits were seen during a private event this afternoon. They include a mid in a killer grey weave as shown above.

Photography: Selectism.com

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Part of Buttero’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection are these handsome four-eyed, round-toed derby shoes. Leather-soled fancies, these come in two colorways—taupe suede and black leather—each made with a different vegetable-tanned leather. There is more leather in the laces and the interiors making for a versatile and finished piece of footwear. Did we mention leather? Travel to Por Vocação to get them on your feet.

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Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man that he didn’t already have, but Generic Surplus has given Gerry Beckley, co-founder of seminal soft rockers America, a pair of smart, simple loafers he was ostensibly asking for.

We’re always in the mood for a loafer and this snappy collab, called The Beckley, proves no exception to our desires. Available in black or white leather with a leather covered EVA wedge and a hard bottom sole, these seem to combine an easy sharpness with serious comfort. Available online, no trip down the yellow brick road required.

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Two Massachusetts brands come together for an interesting collaborative effort. Fidelity, known for their mil-spec coats works with the Sperry Top-sider collection for a three shoe/boot and pea coat – all using the Fidelity’s melton wool formula. As you can see the upper on the boat shoe, boot, and lace-up apply pea coat wool. The boot in the collection even gets a quick pea coat button hit on the upper. The pea coat comes branded with Fidelity and Sperry  Top-sider on the label. Available this Autumn 2012. As seen at PROJECT in Las Vegas.

Photography: Selectism.com

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Red Wing threw an opening party  for its ‘Memoirs-Good Old Boots‘ exhibition over at American Classics in London’s Covent Garden. “A travelling exhibition highlighting fifteen pairs of Red Wing boots. More than a general overview, this exhibition will not only shine the spotlight on those boots, but also on the very personal, unique stories behind each pair of them, as told by the owners themselves.” A smart video put together by The Hutch captures the nights events. Beer, bikes, beards and boots. Thanks to Sanforized for alerting us.

A quick revisit to this collaboration between Alden, Self-Edge and Leather Soul. This time we take a look at the tan Horween natural Chromexcel version which sits as a nice alternative to the black. A colourway which will appeal to those who like to follow the progress of an ageing leather, this is one for the patient. Sure to only get better with time, this 40s style boot isn’t one to be precious with, that Goodyear rubber sole is there for a reason.