We start with a casual observation. Nike has practically pulled out its big old book of archives, threw darts at it, and decides to resurrect a model that the dart landed on. Apart from models celebrating their 20th anniversary (i.e the Air Max 97 last year, and Air Max 98 this year), Nike’s selection of retro models has had fantastic responses from the community, whether a nostalgic throwback or the beginning of someone’s retro collection, the success of releases such as the M2K Tekno (dubbed the Air Monarch 2), Zoom Air Spiridon, and the ever present Air Max 90, Air Max 1 speaks for itself.
Another observation then, comes to surface once the dots are connected. Nike’s selection of modern looking sneakers are relatively overshadowed by the oldies, heck, even Adidas. We rarely ever rave on the new EQT series of shoes. The basketball iterations of the EQT line are barely touched; only the EQT has ever had some success, with collaborations from Undefeated and Overkill, but apart from that, hush. The only one that had a good measure of traction was the Nike Air Vapormax, and even though it was hailed as the successor and pinnacle of Air technology, it still didn’t have enough star power (unlike the Yeezy series, which arguably is the most famous modern sneaker line) to pull the mainstream media’s heads, apart from triple A collabs like CLOT, ACRONYM or Commes Des Garcons. Iterations like the laceless Vapormax barely get any love that it’s almost odd. The laceless versions look hell of a lot more sleeker than the ones with the lace in my opinion.
Not only are they forward looking, advances in manufacturing technology allows for more functional prowess and less material wastage compared to shoes of old. Take for example the Nike Flyknit Racer. In essence, the shoe is made out of 5 whole parts: the outsole, midsole, upper, tongue, and laces. Where previously shoes like the relatively simple Nike Cortez needed around 5 parts to make just the upper, the Flyknit only ever needed one. It makes a case that the material is also engineered to significantly reduce wear and tear during high stress usage like running. However, even with such advancements in tech and design, none of the stated models could not hold a candle to the classics of 80s. Why?
Simple, because modern shoes lack heritage.
You see, back then, the big manufacturers were locked in an arms race over who could innovate what first. Nike came up with encapsulating Air in sacs to provide a natural feeling of bounce, and trialled its performance in a basketball shoe to see whether the tech can bring any benefits to the strenuous game, and sure enough, the Air Force One changed the landscape as we know it, and its effects don’t just stop at the court. The shoe basically ties in to the whole culture of New York City, becoming as definitive as the city that made it famous, from music, fashion, and art. The shoe is practically a canvas for whatever project that designers and key figures want to do with it. From A$AP Bari of VLONE, Errolson Hugh of ACRONYM, CLOT, Don Crawley, Virgil Abloh, Travis Scott all had their own iterations of the shoe, each a visual representation of what they envision the shoe to be, and as a result, is a wearable piece of art that carries a distinct identity, and rich history behind it.
We see the same example too with the Jordan line of basketball shoes, more specifically, the Jordan 1s. The AJ1s only ever had different remixes of colours on the panels, and yet, people still gobble them like there’s no tomorrow. You name it. Breds, Game Royals, Bred Toe, Top 3, Shattered Backboard, Reverse Shattered Backboards, Homage To Home, Chicago, UNC, they’re all just shuffles of different colours, but each has their own story beneath the blocking. The “Bred” colourway for example tells of a tale of the NBA’s initial banning of the shoe on court, incurring a fine every time Michael Jordan laced it up that Nike was willing to pay for every single one just so MJ could play in them, subsequently promoting Nike, cementing the first peg of the Jordan legacy, and leaving a trail of footsteps so coveted, a whole company was made using his name. Jordan himself went on through his career, adding achievements to different pairs of shoes like the AJ3 “Black Cement,” by stunting the home crowd with 40 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals, bagging the All-Star MVP honours after that. He never wore the shoe again after that game, but 6 rereleases in a span of 30 years definitely says something about the significance of the shoe.
If we go further, 70 years back in the timeline, we would arrive at the Converse All-Star, a design that stood so well against the test of time, that the silhouette has ever seen only minor changes to materials and sizing alterations, even up to present day. Although its primary function now is to accommodate the needs of a lifestyle user, and not much of a performance shoe, the design is deeply rooted in the functionality that the needs of playing basketball put forward, and as a result, has carried over into casual use for its practicality and simple function over form design. The Converse is omnipresent, a testament of a product born by necessity.
It’s a different story when a comparison is done with the likes of the Yeezy line. The 350s and the 700s were successful because the shoes were marks in Kanye West’s design legacy, all the way back from when he first partnered with Louis Vuitton, to his entrance in Nike, and subsequent partnership with Adidas. The shoes represent the journey Kanye has taken, and is a living, evolving legacy that stands till he decides to scrap designing work and do something else altogether, which is somewhat unlikely given the traction the Yeezy brand has over the sneaker market. It’s up to a point where it wouldn’t be a sneaker con if it wasn’t saturated with 350s everywhere.
Small wonder then, why many favour the classic designs over the modern silhouettes. The classics have a story attached to them – a significant mark was made in the history books in that particular shoe, resulting in inspiring an individual to collect pieces of a timeline over the course of the brand’s existence. Despite this however, there have been a few exceptions to this statement, and in this case, the rise of modern classics, both under Adidas: The NMD and Ultraboost. Ridiculously popular in recent times but have since dried out on hype, the shoes will probably go through a resurgence again in the next umpteenth year or so as a classic rerelease, more so with the NMD. Then again, fashion has always been cyclical. It’ll be soon before long before these are coveted yet again, and hopefully not restarting the Boost hype the next time round.
