Crossover Culture came out swinging in February.
The Los Angeles-based basketball footwear and apparel startup released its entire collection, including an "Everyday" (lifestyle) and "Gameday" (performance) line of sneakers. Among its court-ready offerings, were the Sniper LP (high), Fortune LP (mid) and the Sliper Lo LP (low). Dedicated to outfitting the renaissance of positionless basketball, where players roles are defined by their skills and athleticism and not their heights and weights, CEO Ryan Duke and his staff are endeavoring to capitalize on a movement.
MORE: Crossover Culture Sniper Lo LP review
SN got its hands on a pair of the Crossover Culture Fortune LP. Let's review their aesthetics, comfort, performance and affordability.
Crossover Culture Fortune LP
Look good
One thing is for certain, Crossover Culture knows how to make a good-looking sneaker. The black diamond/lunar dust/ignot colorway of the Fortune LP is the more visually appealing iteration of the model by far. For some reason, those colors just pop better with the mid-top build as opposed to the Sniper Lo LP, where the polar white/stealth/gold ignot colorway might be the coldest new shoe of the summer. The Fortune LP's designers took a risk with the gold foil accent on both the 3-D molded knit upper and toe but pull it off. They're flashy, but not offensively so.
In addition to their versatility on the floor, Fortune LP can also play off it, especially if you fancy well-fitted (Note: I didn't say "skinny) jeans that fall no farther than the bottom of your shin ankle so you can show off your entire sneaker. This one's a looker.
Feel good
The most notable attribute of the Fortune LP is the internal sock or "second-skin flight suit" as the company refers to it. The upper an the internal aren't fully-attached It doesn't necessarily adversely impact the fit, but it it getting them on is a bit more laborious than most shoes and takes some getting used. Once they're on foot, you'll be welcomed with a comfy fit aided by technologically-advanced LP cushioning that only gets better with time.
The Fortune LP are a snug fit, especially initially, but I like that in a performance shoe. If you want a little more space, I'd suggest going up a half size, but I didn't have to.
Play good
The Crossover Culture Fortune LP perform exceptionally well, especially indoors but you may want to break them in some before you play a series of competitive five-on-five games. Once you do, Crossover Culture's unique, super-responsive LP Energy System will give you more than enough shock absorption and the lockdown also satisfies so your foot won't be sliding all over the place. Traction might be the only minor issue from a performance side. Outdoors or on a dusty indoor court, you'll likely find yourself having to wipe more times than you'd like, but other than that it's a top-of-the-line model.
Pay good
The Crossover Culture Fortune LP is available in three different colorways, going for a $110, a price point commiserate with the technology and quality materials used, on Eastbay and Tradehome Shoe Stores retail locations.