Nike x READYMADE Blazer Mid
February 14, 2021 - The deconstructed, DIY approach of the Nike x READYMADE Blazer Mid transforms Nike’s earliest basketball shoe. It features a thinner, longer, half-stitched Swoosh, pulled from the logo’s 1971 version, and the layered upper nests a splotched foam beneath angled leather side panels. The result is an aesthetic that shows off the Japanese brand’s core design values and subtly catches the nostalgia of the brand’s founder, Yuta Hosokawa.
“We deconstructed the Blazer and recreated it without losing sight of its DNA,” the READYMADE designer says. “I have been playing basketball since I was in third grade. The first pair of shoes I bought for myself were Nikes. That’s how I came to like fashion.”
The midsole’s texture adds volume, and was designed using clay molds that were altered during a few trials to balance the shoe’s side profile. Exposed foam surrounds the collar and tongue, and three different sets of laces over the toe box and across the midfoot create an additional layered, hatched effect. A nod to READYMADE’s upcycling philosophy, the rubber outsole is made with about 15 percent Nike Grind, a mix of recycled materials originating from Nike manufacturing scrap and worn-out sneakers that would have otherwise entered the waste stream.
The Nike x READYMADE Blazer Mid releases February 27 on SNKRS, NikeLab MA5 and DSM Ginza in Tokyo, and select READYMADE retail locations.
February 28, 2021 - The ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% brought the latest in ZoomX cushioning technology to both elite and recreational runners, incorporating a full-length carbon plate for outstanding energy return. The shoe’s second version releases first in a minimalist colorway for Nike members that taps into the workshop lore of Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, followed by a wider release of the above Aqua colorway. It adds features through the upper to make the shoe more comfortable and durable, while still keeping the underfoot details that cement its trusted, near-magical reputation among runners who are breaking their own barriers on race day.
Here’s what’s new (and familiar) about the ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% 2:
