NIKE N. 354 TYPE PACK

While “The Ten“ by Virgil Abloh may have kicked things off, the trend of deconstructed footwear has been going strong for quite a while. Stripping the original design of a shoe down however does not rule out the use of the very latest tech Nike has to offer, as recent releases like the ISPA Pack have shown with the use of React foam and lightweight mesh constructions.

The archives in Nike’s Beaverton, OR headquarters have long filed prototypes and various stages of product design of what used to be attempts at solving different athletic problems of a given time period. Now, it seems like the time-honored halls are serving an additional purpose. They are a starting point. Access to the archives has never been greater and the designers are going ham with it, drawing inspiration from old prototypes and telling their stories through the use of modern material and current design.

In N. 354, the Swoosh is opening a new chapter by taking the old to the new and continuously pushing the envelope when it comes to footwear design. Kicking things off are two silhouettes, the Air Force 1 ‘Type‘ and the Drop-Type LX, both highlighting the exposed elements of a striped down look in an unapologizing celebration of raw ingenuity.

While both shoes relinquish the use of a prominently featured Swoosh, they both share a hand-written N. 354 branding, a subtle note to one of the main inspirations behind Nike‘s new line, Steve Prefontaine. The former long-distance runner at the University of Oregon and one of the first official testimonials in the brand’s history also made a point of challenging preconceived notions against a modern point of view (ultimately leading to the abolishment of the AAU in 1978). “Pre’s“ career-best one mile time? Three minutes and fifty-four seconds.

Starting July 25th, the Nike Air Drop Type LX will also be available in black!