Nike VaporWaffle x sacai

Gentle, earthy tones are accompanied by both lighter and darker hues on this Nike VaporWaffle x sacai sneaker, giving it a bold, grounded look. Founder of sacai, Chitose Abe, has used her creative talent to blend together two prior Nike models into one powerful shoe, and, as such, it is covered in doubled-up features. It begins underfoot with a classic waffle outsole all in black. Cuboid grip pads of varying sizes and shapes have been lined up beneath the forefoot and along the edges of the midfoot, while the heel has two curved sections embossed with tightly packed ridges. Nike branding appears in the centre of the outsole, and its black rubber curls up at the front to be displayed on the tip of the toe.

The soft cushioning of the foam midsole is the first area to take on a hybrid form. It is made up of two main layers, the upper one white, the lower one tinged with a slightly creamy tone. Splitting the two through the back half of the shoe is a Blue Void wedge which sticks out a little from the heel, its dark navy colouration contrasting strongly against the two shades of white above and below it. The top layer curves up and away from this wedge, for an intriguing look, and swooping decorative lines add an eye-catching aesthetic touch down each of its sides.

Meanwhile, the Sesame & Blue Void upper contrasts these two tones with brown and white aspects. Smooth Sesame textile forms the base layer that fills out the flanks and a small portion across the toe, while the rest is covered up by both suede and leather overlays in a rich shade of brown. The former material appears on the forefoot mudguard and the wavy edged eyestay, while the latter constitutes the heel counter, which has holes cut into each side to reveal the Sesame underlayer once more. Above this last panel is a leather heel tab in Blue Void, its surface adorned with a white Nike x sacai logo that merges the names of the two brands seamlessly together. A strip of Sesame textile then runs over the centre of both heel panels, a tiny white swoosh at its bottom, and a convenient pull tab formed at its top.

Inside the shoe, a plush Sesame mesh coats the walls, offering a gentle feel around the ankle, and the insole switches to Blue Void with a white Nike sacai logo printed onto its surface. Above this, two tongues have been laid atop one another. Both of these are made of soft canvas, the primary one Sesame, the secondary one a deeper shade of browny beige. Each has its own white label at the peak, the top one featuring a vintage Nike Sportswear logo, the other classic Nike branding text with the word “sacai” added below the swoosh.

Dual laces tie up over the stacked tongues, one set Blue Void, the other white. On the sides of the heel, thin strips of Blue Void leather emerge from either side of the lower overlay and stretch back along the flanks to become Nike swooshes. Just above each one is a series of brown patterns that run up against the edge of the eyestay, while the lateral swoosh alone is joined by yet another of these familiar logos. This one is painted over parts of the main swoosh, the canvas upper, the forefoot overlay, the heel counter and even the midsole. This makes it much larger than its counterpart and rounds off this dapper sneaker with a stunning branding effect unique to this collaboration.