Author: Bradley Martinez
To celebrate 30 years of the Nike Air Huarache and relive each step that dragged Tinker Hatfield’s thermoplastic strap donning silhouette into the industry’s cut-throat limelight, Footpatrol and Morprime IndustriesTM have teamed up to cover every landmark, hiccup and even a handful of substories that lead to this model so sitting proudly at the forefront of technological innovation. Without further ado, follow us on a journey from 1991 until the present day; pulling apart thirty years of unadulterated excitement.
Re-writing global sportswear and fashion trends wasn’t an easy feat, in fact Nike have been working with and Tinker-ing the Air Huarache for three decades now. The man himself joined Swoosh in 1981, utilising his love for architecture to help line our shelves with some of the most aesthetically pleasing sneakers on the market. His jump into footwear’s design pool happened a mere four years after joining Nike.
Initial Air Huarache price tags sat at $110 and $100 GS respectively, however certain issues ushered Hatfield’s sketches into the shadows from day one. It was a case of first-run orders sitting below 50 units, taking product manager Tom Hartge to trust Tinker’s range and forge an order for 5000 units. This paid off, with each and every pair of the 9.5 ounce sneakers going home with a new owner during a three day stall-sale at New York’s Marathon. From here, Nike saw orders surpass half a million units – success was the next stop.
GB sprinter Derek Redmond was somewhat overshadowed in the sneaker-verse by his father, Jim, despite multiple World Championship medals. He carved a solo route into the Huarache ‘Hall of Fame’ by supporting his injured son across Barcelona’s ‘92 Olympics Semi Final finishing-line. What makes this so key, is the featured tee bestowing Nike’s ‘Have You Hugged Your Foot Today?’ advert, worn by Redmond Senior.
Media coverage didn’t persuade everyone, particularly publication ‘Runner’s World’ who slated the neoprene and lycra sneaker’s level on-foot breathability; a remarkably contrasting claim to that awarded by our now disparaged ‘The Source’ team. They handed Nike a gold star for ‘Shoe Technology of the Year’ to commemorate a sneaker inundated with space-age features; this tale of two halves gave early insight into an ensuing 30 year rollercoaster.
In the same year, North America’s NBA witnessed an Air Flight Huarache maze from court-to-couch, protecting the toes of superstars Pippen and Reggie Miller to name but a few. Kobe Bryant curated an immense library of Player Exclusive (PE) iterations throughout 2003, feeding nicely into 2004’s Zoom Huarache 2K4. It is said that the 2K4 silhouette wore an unofficial signature badge to fill a gap whilst legalities and ties from Kobe’s time with previous sponsors were erased. Until the Zoom Kobe 1 debuted in January 2006, he wore a miscellaneous of Huarache iterations completed by Erik Avar with Tinker’s guidance on fulfilling the outsole pattern and other minor details.
Retrospectively, the University of Michigan’s Chris Webber led squad constructed a perfect environment for Swoosh to further aid the cut-out sneaker’s 1991 hard-court takeover – suiting their team’s unfiltered, new-age style with inch perfect precision. Baggy attire, black socks and Air Flight Huarache – the unwritten recipe for success.
The Huarache name wasn’t only synonymous amongst circles of sneaker collecting fandom, a statement made painstakingly obvious as we observe the level of historical influences Nike’s palette planners took on board, dressing 1991’s silhouette in elaborately planned colour schemes designed to demand attention. Variations in green, shades of black and off-white tones attributed 1988-90’s ESCAPE collection, with ‘88’s Windrunner playing its part when designers drafted Stussy’s soon-to-be SMU – and of course, 2003’s very own Air Huarache ‘Escape’ namesake.
Nike tends to launch hybrids to aid the exploration of previously untapped markets, yet 2007’s Huarache trifecta may not be seen as so traditional. They pulled a second 1991 neoprene-ridden, heel-strap wearing silhouette from Tinker’s infinitely impressive and expanding portfolio – this time, lending a mid-height contribution from ACG’s rural Oregon branch. This version swapped mesh for perforated leather, going on to splash each panel in OG MOWABB colours thus displaying DNA from both sides of the fence. Many saw this gang as a final ‘Hua-rrah’ before dropping the silhouette in the short term.
Without a shadow of doubt, the Air Huarache’s impact on street and sports-CULTURE was that of biblical proportions – finding a middle-ground between basketball, running, going on to touch base with leisurewear and even tennis. Interpreting things differently, what impact did the CULTURE alone have on the success of this article footwear engineering? Well, MTV aired a Nike advert in 1992 focussing on purple lycra, USA World Champion sprinter Michael Johnson and the OG pair of Air Huarache ‘Purple Punch’.
Ayrton Senna, MC Serch and Mike Tyson were all photographed in their own pair of brightly coloured lycra-booties, as the technology became accessible to the masses.
Following Tom Hartge’s risky business that make 1991 so profitable, orders rocketed from sub-50 to beyond 250,000; furthermore, Tinker was quoted by Kahn, French and Corral in their 2017 hard-back ‘SNEAKERS’ announcing over four million sales during a single fiscal year on the market. His efforts made Hatfield’s idea float, where it naturally faded only to be brought back into the public eye early-2013 bearing a ‘What are you sayin. #huaracheAIR #STUSSY,’ Twitter caption. Global media welcomed Joey Essex to the stage as he wore Stussy’s millennium- curbing olive SMU during a photoshoot; aligning himself at the centre of Nike’s 2013 Huarache rebirth.
In other news, the SMU’s backstory is a thing of great fortune…
Simon Porter was in contact with Nike’s Jason Fulton asking specifically for ‘unique product’ to line shelves soon after opening Stussy’s FIRST London Chapter store. It just so happened
that four QS were in the works; The Hideout took two Footscapes, whereas Simon nabbed Tinker’s neoprene model for himself in a duo of colourways.
Nobody discussed the pairing with Stussy’s US team due to its intended London store-only presence, eventually selling out through word-of-mouth alone.
By blowing Swoosh minds, Stussy gained access to a certain Dunk SB struggling to gain its market foothold.
Black and white mono, mesh-based pairs launched worldwide from 2014; THIS marked the point of no return as Tinker’s Huarache gathered a second wind, going forth with immeasurable force and inadvertently coasting that infamous runner’s high until fully customisable NikeID options were dropped at its feet mid-2015 .
Gary Warnett was one of the first to hint at its comeback in 2012, kickstarting a renaissance that size? later joined by draping the ‘Light-er’ version in MOWABB’s COA; beginning to line stomachs of starved collectors.
Now for a little something along the lines of Footpatrol’s origin story. Calling St Anne’s Court, Soho its first home in 2002, FP was a product of Nike approaching both Michael Kopelman and Simon Porter to open a premium sneaker store off the back of Stussy’s ‘00 SMU success.
Just over a decade later, Footpatrol launched their OWN Huarache singing to the tune of a mere 500 ‘Concrete’ units. Their team took on 1993’s LIGHT silhouette which unlike its heavier, original form saw a solo ‘Ultramarine’ colourway spanning small and larger sizes at time of release. With a heavy heart it didn’t mimic the height of popularity Footpatrol managed to harness, despite sharing an intricately sculpted tri-hole caging system and streamlined suede upper panelling.
Tales of origin encompassing Tinker’s Huarache and its tagline are now common knowledge – however, here’s a recap for those somewhat unfamiliar.
Tales change throughout time but facts remain the same; in this case, we have the late Sandy Bodecker to thank for sculpting Nike SB into the force it is today, as well as scribbling ‘Sneaker of the [Greek] Gods’ in response to Hatfield’s preliminary Huarache design. Inspired, he drew on the repeatedly remodelled ‘harrachi’ mexican sandal when naming – a form of footwear that could fulfil any purpose whilst consistently fitting with modern trends.
Unfortunately, North America’s infamous sandal was merely a namesake as ‘Huarache’ became its production tag, and technical inspiration grew from an elaborate water-skiing bootie epiphany. He was impressed by the neoprene’s ability to stretch and mould its form dependent on each wearer’s dimensions, proceeding to bury the concept beneath a combination of structural exo- skeleton and lycra across early sketches. His idea to stretch above tarsals opposed to lateral metatarsal spread worked at a tangent from 1986’s elasticated Sock Racer forefoot – one of Bruce Kilgore’s creations.
Although Tinker introduced ‘flex-sole ridges’ to the Huarache’s tooling and left Avar to conclude the Flight’s outsole at a later date, coming years saw an uncontrollable spawning of hybrids forming beneath the model’s polymerised chloroprene umbrella – utilising details from both models in a way not dissimilar to the duo of designers’ own tandem efforts.
Andre Agassi is often overlooked for his contributions to the sneaker’s success, with an eye-catching signature Air Tech Challenge II in tow. Two of Hatfield’s silhouettes were united to initiate a concoction of ‘89 performance and ‘91’s lesson in technological finesse – birthing the Air Tech Challenge Huarache, allowing the sneaker to contend in a way it was not famed for. Of course, Agassi claimed his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon with this visible-air-bootie on court.
Nike‘s Huarache FREE 2012 QS capsule was composed of three ingredients – two cut-out basketball silhouettes in original colourways and a single, low-slung pavement beater clad in 1991’s ‘Emerald/Resin’ autumnal palette. FREE technology met retail shelves for the first time mid-2004, three years after Stanford University’s running team was seen cooling-down barefoot in line with a theory encouraging improved foot health; from this point, footwear designers tried to incorporate literally slicing soles into their practise.
2019’s Autumnal season was the lucky recipient of ‘Back to the Future-esque’ FitAdapt technology – forming a bridge over what was a previously untapped market incorporating smartphone applications, 1991’s heartbeat and a lot of fun. Everything else aside, wearers (or users in this case) could adjust ‘lace’ tightness with ease and skim a multitude of LED midsole colour options through an app-reliant sneaker feature.
So, each of these steps contributed towards 2021’s retro of 1991’s storymaker; a sneaker with enough history to pack a small novel and more iterations than your favourite games console. Its ‘dynamic-fit’ technology has, and will continue to push boundaries across industries far outside of lines deemed to be its comfort-zone. Tinker’s designs revolutionised our shelves, transforming all collections with early career prowess.
Back in 2006, Edison Chen + Kevin Poon and their Hong Kong-based streetwear label, CLOT, teamed up with Nike for the first time, creating one of the most unique iterations of the Air Max 1 ever.
Now 15 years later, CLOT and the Swoosh are bringing the “Kiss of Death” Air Max 1 back to celebrate its 15th anniversary.
Since the release of the Air Max 1, CLOT has come to be one the most influential names in the industry, releasing unique renditions of their silk-laden Air Force 1s and a number of notable pairings with the Jordan Brand. Throughout all of CLOT’s work with Nike and Jordan, there is a fundamental connection to Chinese culture, whether it be an homage to the terracotta army, luxe silk materials, or something as simple as foot reflexology.
Unless you’re a clot-eyed aficionado you might have missed some of the subtle differences…
At first glance, the most obvious difference between the 2006 and the 2021 version is the updated colour on the heel.
Inspired by the practice of Chinese foot massage, the 2006 Air Max 1’s insoles feature a diagram of a human foot surrounded by characters and arrows pointed toward certain pressure points. Now in 2021, that motif has been taken to another level by way of a list of focal points throughout the body that extend beyond just the lower body.
Like most clear shoes designed with plastic paneling, the original 2006 version of this Air Max 1 was not exactly the most breathable. Much like ESPO’s Air Force 2 collab, the shoe’s window would fog up when worn without socks, an issue that has been remedied by toe-updated box perforations.
For the 2021 version, CLOT opted to keep the initialism as the shoe’s main nickname as opposed to “Kiss of Death” in an effort to remain sensitive toward the current circumstances around the globe.
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The past couple of years have seen New Balance build on their portfolio of successful collaborations and one of those that stands out has to be Casablanca.
For early 2021, the duo reunite for another unique take on the New Balance archive. Focusing on more modern day silhouettes, Casablanca look at one of their favoured models, the 327. This is one that has received the Casablanca treatment a couple of times now and is one they continue to experiment with.
The main surprise from this latest collaboration is the introduction of a brand new lifestyle silhouette. Featuring similar design queues to the 327, the 237 is a much softer approach. The sharp angles have been replaced with much more softer curves bringing a welcome contrast to the two models.
Both are dressed in a super clean colour palette of white, greens and soft pinks with the eye-catching Casablanca pattern featuring across the toe box and heel.
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To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle win posted out to the address entered during sign up. Those unsuccessful will see a return of their funds, this can take up to 5 working days from when the winners have been drawn. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
The Dunk has often been used as a platform to represent meaningful courses to get people thinking and talking, you only need to look to the recent Nike Dunk Low ‘Community Garden’ and the Dunk Low SB ‘Crater’ to see this.
Both of those iterations used a host of materials that have been reimagined and reused to create one of the sneaker heads favourite silhouettes.
Now for 2021, Nike return with these ideas for another brand new take on the Low silhouette, the ‘City Market’. Featuring a bold, bright design, the upper has been constructed using eye catching visuals to celebrate durable materials and their role in Nike’s innovative heritage. Graphics nod to the brand’s Blue Ribbon Sports roots, as well as industrial rice and coffee bags that are frequently upcycled from urban markets for a wide range of uses.
Within this bold design, there also lays small unique details like on the tongue where a small, zipped compartment nods to reusable grocery storage with an accompanying grocery bag that pays its respects with a simple commendation: “Thank You For Caring!”
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To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle win posted out to the address entered during sign up. Those unsuccessful will see a return of their funds, this can take up to 5 working days from when the winners have been drawn. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Following on from the recently launched Nike Dunk High Curry, Nike are back for their second take on these curry inspired tones, this time utilising the Dunk Low SP silhouette.
Using slightly light shades, this Dunk Low has been dressed in a host of off whites and light browns, a more subtle iteration than the ‘Dark Curry’ it follows on from. The rough hairy suede on that previous pair has also been replaced an instead, a more traditional fine suede sits across the toe box and heel bringing a softer feel to the theme.
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To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle win posted out to the address entered during sign up. Those unsuccessful will see a return of their funds, this can take up to 5 working days from when the winners have been drawn. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
The past year has seen Jordan Brand put a heavy focus on their Air Jordan 1 silhouette and to kick start 2021 we continue to see this focus on the silhouette with the introduction of more AJ1 Zoom iterations with one that grabs our attention in particular due to what it’s inspired by… London.
Paying homage to the city that Footpatrol calls home, this Air Jordan 1 Zoom features an upper that consists of a mix of grey tones that perfectly represent the architecture and cloudy skies that grace the capital.
Those mix of greys have been fitted out in both tumbled and smooth leathers whilst the tongue and collar are contrasted with an off white exposed foam.
To celebrate this upcoming launch, we reached out to three creatives who base themselves within the city to share their reasons for loving all things London and the Air Jordan 1.
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Footpatrol: Hey guys, firstly we’d like to thank you for joining us for this launch, could you introduce yourselves to our audience?
Remy: Hey, I’m Rémy Bourdeau, a photographer from Paris but have been living in London for around 5 years now.
Jordan: I’m Jordan Dawson, a sneaker customiser, a hyperrealist artist and graphic designer. My most recent work has been customising footballers boots. My commercial design experience includes co-designing Nike’s 2018 London Air Force 1 campaign and designing EA Sports Fifa 20 Volta Pitch with the two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Sonny: My name is Sonny Bigland, 24 years of age. I grew up in and still currently based in London where I’m in the early years of my first fashion brand – SonnyByName. The brand began with the making of one offs and commissioned pieces and from this I developed my practice and progressed my craft. SonnyByName is currently running from a studio in Bank, London where I have the space to explore traditional dyeing techniques and fabric manipulation which are some of the distinct design features of the garments of the brand. The brand currently has lots of projects on so I am very excited to see where SonnyByName will develop to over the next year.
FP: One of the reasons why we’re here, what is it you love about the Air Jordan 1?
Remy: I grew up around Hip Hop culture and Jordans have always been a part of that… they’re a classic and they’re definitely within my top 3, probably my favourite! I cycle a lot, not so much performance but more street and find they’re a great shoe to cycle with, unlike a running shoe these get better with age. They’re perfect, they can be worn with anything, even when it’s raining so they’re useful for London.
Jordan: The Air Jordan 1s for me shout premium and quality and are without a doubt the holy grail of any Nike silhouette, that’s why I love them.
Sonny: The Jordan 1 is a trainer I can wear on special occasions or as an everyday beater, making it a versatile wear and for that reason, they’ll always stay in my rotation. Over the years my style has changed and the adaptability of the Jordan 1 really caters to this change allowing this shoe to constantly be a part of my wardrobe. I think this collaboration, in particular the colours represents London well.
FP: With the shoe being inspired by London, we wanted to know what London means to you?
Remy: Quite a few things, I’m originally from Paris and people are surprised when I mention it but London is much bigger than Paris. In London you get a bit of everything, so to me it means: more, quicker, and obviously it’s very cosmopolite and I love all the differences I can see and experience and if you take pictures and like to shoot portraits, it’s great here. London is also culturally interesting, there is always a lot of interesting things happening and it’s not bad for worldwide food!
Jordan: London is where I grew up, its so unique in the aspect of its diversity and culture wherever you go. There’s still so many parts of it that I haven’t even seen and that’s the beauty of it.
Sonny: London for me means possibilities and opportunities, I really see it as a city where there is a lot to experience and I try to make the most of this. The vast amount of talent which this city contains provides me with so much inspiration and gives the feeling that connections aren’t far out of reach. It is a city I have grown up in and the rich culture which London contains is something you can’t find in many places around the world.
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To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle win posted out to the address entered during sign up. Those unsuccessful will see a return of their funds, this can take up to 5 working days from when the winners have been drawn. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
Ever since its introduction over 30 years ago, the AJ4 has become a firm fan favourite steeped in history. After a strong focus was brought to the silhouette in 2020, it seems to be continuing into 2021.
After last years Air Jordan 1 ‘Dark Mocha’ becoming an instant hit amongst Jordan fans, Nike continue with the rich brown hues with a mixture of Taupe Haze, Oil Grey and Off-White dressed across this AJ4. With these subtle tones, a contrast has been implemented with the use of materials. Alongside a fine suede sits a cracked leather which adds a slight shine to the silhouette for that extra pop.
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To enter, you’re required to sign up via the above form, this WON’T be available in-store to sign up on.
To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle win posted out to the address entered during sign up. Those unsuccessful will see a return of their funds, this can take up to 5 working days from when the winners have been drawn. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
The YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 Ash Stone features an upper composed of multi-toned re-engineered Primeknit with a post-dyed monofilament side stripe woven into the upper. This model explores a special stone washing process that creates a one-of-a-kind Primeknit upper for every pair. The midsole utilizes adidas ́ innovative BOOSTTM technology.
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The READYMADE take on the Nike Blazer Mid brings with it many different aspects, bringing the very much on trend deconstructed, DIY approach to its aesthetic whilst also hitting us with slight hints of nostalgia by looking back to Nikes history and design of their earliest basketball shoe.
Building on READYMADE’s design ethos and their 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.
This detail also lend themselves to the midsole and the splotched foam beneath that reminds us of Nike’s recent Space Hippie range however, the midsole has actually been developed using clay molds that were altered during a few trials to balance the shoe’s side profile, bringing a sense of volume to the design.
Aside from those more subtle details, the most stand out feature has to be the thinner, longer, half-stitched Swoosh that’s been pulled straight from the logo’s 1971 version.
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To sign up to the Online raffle, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorisation payment of the retail price of the product plus shipping costs. This will be held until raffle completion. Those successful will have their raffle win posted out to the address entered during sign up. Those unsuccessful will see a return of their funds, this can take up to 5 working days from when the winners have been drawn. The raffle is limited to one entry per household! Multiple entries will be cancelled!
When it comes to the best in outdoor footwear, sometimes the answers are in front of you. Salomon have been creating outdoor tech since the 1940’s, beginning with skiing technology which has since filtered down into trail running shoes and hiking footwear and at Footpatrol, we love the technology and design processes that go into these products.
With Salomon’s new season starting to arrive at Footpatrol, we thought we’d take their XA-Pro Fusion Advanced out on to some trails to see just how they held up.
When it comes to hiking and trail running, one of the key factors you need from your footwear is confidence in traction, the XA-Pro Fusion Advanced is equipped with a Contagrip outsole which provides expert grip which with it’s geometry of the 3D Chassis, the sneaker provides just the right amount of cushioning and stability for a secure ride that’s capable of tackling a number of terrains.
Take a closer look below at the all black colour way and head over to Footpatrol.com to see the latest offering from Salomon.
