Every sneaker guy's gonna have a pair by the end of the year (if not week)
Image: GQ UK
About a year ago, Jacquemus brought back the Nike Moon Shoe from the ’70s. Since then, it's become one of the hype-iest Swoosh sneakers out there.
Rihanna's worn a pair, despite being a Puma gal for years. Samba boy Harry Styles was recently spotted in them too. And if, for whatever reason, you still don't have some in your rotation (you OK, mate?), Nike has finally made the obvious one: a stealthed-up Moon Shoe. It gave us baby blue before it got around to this, somehow. But now it's here, and it's perfect for the darker, moodier months ahead.
Nike Moon Shoe ‘Black’
Image: Nike
Up top, this murdered-out Moon Shoe is decked out in ‘Black’ nylon. In fact, ‘Black’ takes over almost the entire trainer, from the cotton laces to the leather heel badge, all the way to the super-flat sole. A cream ‘Sail’ Swoosh shoots across the sidewalls, and just to make things pop, there's a tiny hit of ‘Safety Orange’ on the tongue.
Why Nike took so long to make the most obvious colourway in the world is anyone's guess. Maybe it was saving the easy one. Either way, a black and white colour combo makes the Moon Shoe's long shape much easier to wear than some of the colours we've had so far. This could be the pair that gets the most people into it.
For those who don't know, Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman came up with the Moon Shoe while trying to give runners more grip without making their shoes heavier. In 1971, he poured liquid urethane into his wife's waffle iron to try out a new sole. He forgot to grease it first, so the iron ended up glued shut. Not ideal for brekky, but the experiment led to the legendary waffle sole.
Nike Moon Shoe ‘Black’
Image: Nike
A small batch of Moon Shoes were made for the 1972 US Olympic Trials, and that was more or less it. They got their name from the marks the soles left behind, which apparently looked like footprints on the moon. The original never had a proper release, though Bowerman's waffle idea went on to become a very, very big deal for Nike.
In 2019, an OG pair sold at Sotheby's for around £350,000. The new ‘Black’ will cost just £90, which leaves quite a bit of cash for the rest of your fit.
If you want a pair, the Nike Moon Shoe ‘Black’ is set to drop at Nike, the Snkrs app, and select stockists globally very soon. The only problem? So does every other sneaker guy.
Via GQ UK