Brand: OVO x BAPE

Model: STA

Release Date: October 2022

Price: TBC

Buy: Online at BAPE

Editor's Notes: Nike vs adidas is a fight we're all too familiar with. Everybody has picked a side at least once in their lives, and Drake, as a Nike ambassador for Liverpool FC and the frontman for NOCTA (and its growing list of divisions), naturally sided with "checks over stripes."

On this occasion, however, Three Stripes is out of the picture, with BAPE taking its place. If you recall, images have been circulating for quite some time, showcasing a NOCTA Certified Lover Boy Nike Air Force 1 Low. It was assumed the sneaker's release would follow that of the album, but now, one year later, a solid release date remains a mystery.

Whether or not the release has been scrapped altogether is yet to be seen, but with the emergence of an OVO branded BAPE STA that's due to release next month, it feels safe to assume as such.

You need only have eyes to know that the STA is BAPE's riff on the AF1, and given the fact that both low tops take on full white leather renders, surely it makes no sense to release two of what is essentially the same shoe.

For the OVO take on the BAPE STA, reptile textured leather fills the upper from front to back, while the STA's star branding is remixed with the October's Very Own logo. The finishing touch is provided by the metallic lace dubre, which on this occasion takes the form of Drake's iconic OVO owl.

The pair also comes in a specially designed box which bares all the expected OVO iconography.

With the arrival of this special edition collaboration, it may be safe to start saying your goodbyes to the Certified Lover Boy AF1. Or not – after all, if there's money to be made...

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