SPOTLIGHT: Nike’s got us locked in with their upcoming SNKRS releases Part 2
Here’s the 2nd part of our deep dive into the SNKRS Showcase Nike dropped during Paris Fashion Week. The pairs here are set to drop F/W 2024 and Spring 2025. If you missed the other pairs, click here to see the pairs under the Look of Field and Icon collections.
While there were some surefire hits with the first two collections, a lot of local sneakerheads were more inclined with the sets that dropped here – the Cult Classics. We’ve seen several cult classics make a return this past season (the Linen AF1s, Aquamarine 180s, and Ultramans and Veneers, just to name a few), there are some that people have been waiting for a minute:
Nike’s built their foundation on running and made their name with Air. As they evolved the category further, they were able to make it more responsive, thus the birth of Zoom Air. One of the most cherished (while underrated) pairs during the 90s was the Air Zoom Spiridon. Returning in its most OG form (last released around 2017), the Spiridon OG makes its return Holiday 2024. With its original colorway in tow, expect to see Nike fans flock to pick a pair up when they release later this year.
Now this is definitely a treat. Back in the late ’80s, Nike released an ‘Escape’ collection, a colorup of notable shoes from that era such as the Air Trainer 1, Air Force III, Windrunner, Son of Lava Dome and a couple others. The collection featured varying shades of brown set on a white base. In 2005, Nike released a revival of the Escape pack, now doing the swatch on the Air Force 1 ‘Escape’. For the first time since ’05, Nike brings this cult classic back in time for Spring 2025.
2012 was a crazy year for sneakers. During the NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando, Nike Basketball released their Galaxy-inspired footwear which featured signature and retro pairs that got the entire world feenin’. One pair that ruled them all was the Air Foamposite One ‘Galaxy’. I was in Orlando that weekend and it was all over the news that the release of the pack had to be shut down due to the thousands of people causing a ruckus for the pairs. These are also dropping Spring 2025.
While we’ve seen the Foams re-release every so often over the last two decades, Nike decided to bring back its successor – the Air Flightposite ‘Metallic Gold’ aka the ‘Green Goblins’ (yes, they do resemble the armor of Spidey’s nemesis during the Sam Rainey Spider-Man movies in the early 2000s). First released back in 1999, the Flightposites were an evolution in basketball footwear, using Zoom Air and Air technology while keeping it sleek with its bootie construction for that snug fit. These joints are set to drop Holiday 2024 as well.
The MAXXED OUT COLLECTION
Now, no Nike release is complete without AIR. The MAXXED OUT collection brings some fan favorites as well as some updated silhouettes for the Holiday24/Spring25 season.
When Nike was doing teases for this unveiling, they did a shot of all the outsoles of the releases. Most weren’t hard to decipher – the Spiridon outsoles, AF1s, Foams, etc. But one outsole pattern seemed odd – it had the Waffle Racer forefoot but coupled with the Air Max Plus heel. The shoe turns out to be the latest hybrid – the Waffle Racer SP. The shoe uses the Waffle Racer’s upper while fastened with the Tuned Air’s heel, bridging the brand’s history during the BRS era and Nike’s Max legacy. The green pair is definitely a callback to the OG Waffle Racer while the purple colorway (below) taps into the Air Max Plus’ OG run. Both pairs are dropping Holiday 2024.
Nike’s been drilling us hard with the Air Max Plus. Over the last two years, we’ve seen the OGs drop as well as a bunch of very good colorways. This Holiday season, the shoe drops again, but this time replacing the uppers with Swarovski Crystals. We’ve seen Nike play in the sandbox with Swarovski several times, but this fits right in. Coming in the OG ‘Sunset’ colorway as well as a Black/Silver pair, the Air Max Plus should be on your rotation.
Air Max fans must be happy for the return of the TL line with the Air Max TL 2.5. The TL (short for Total) first released back in 1998, and had several moments over the last two decades, including the release of the TL 2.5 in 2006. With its Max 97 Air bags and its technical uppers, the TL 2.5 is back in its OG Black/Neon Green colorway as well as a new Orange/Phantom colorway. Both pairs are set to drop Spring 2025.
To close things out for their Air Max offering is another fan favorite – the Air Max Sunder. While the shoe drops this July in its OG colorways, Nike is set to drop the Sunder once again, but this creating the shoe with GORE-TEX. The Women’s Air Max SNDR (I really don’t get the shortened name) GORE-TEX comes in two colorways (Black and Red) this Holiday 24 while the Purple colorway drops Spring 2025. They’ve tweaked the shoe a bit, removing the lace loops, making the shoe even easier to wear.
Now are these pairs enough to get you back on the Nike bandwagon? A lot of promise, most definitely. But what I need to see are new pairs with more innovation and creativity across all their other categories. The SNKRS releases are definitely Ws, but curious to really see what Nike’s got in store for us for this next 2+ seasons. Keep it locked here for more info on the actual release dates of these Nike specials.