For 10 years Tom Sachs and Nike have been working together on sneakers that push the boundaries of footwear design. In 2012 they released the Mars Yard sneaker, which took inspiration from the lunar overshoes astronauts wore on Apollo lunar missions and featured an upper made of Vectran fabric – the same material used on Rivellini's Mars Rover airbags. In 2017 Sachs unveiled the Mars Yard 2.0, which as well as those aforementioned features, was constructed from materials such as polyurethane, rubber, pigskin and nylon, which easily scuff and stain. This was Sachs' way of denouncing resell culture, at the time stating, “Reselling is embarrassing for the people who do it. It's kind of shameful."
Tom Sachs' NikeCraft General Purpose Shoe
Now Sachs and Nike are releasing another forward-thinking silhouette. While the previous collaborations were designed to be worn by scientists first and foremost, the NikeCraft General Purpose Shoe are here to be worn by anyone in any industry at any time. Sachs essentially wanted to take the humble sneaker back to its original purpose of just being worn for the sake of being worn, rather than for getting clout among sneakerheads.
“I got involved with Nike in the beginning because we wanted to make a sculpture that everyone could wear. It’s a tool for everyday life; it's democratic,” says Sachs. “It took a decade to make a shoe this simple, as simple as can be and no simpler." The fit-for-all shoe comes with a waterproof upper that is still ultra-breathable should you be working or living in warmer climes. The mid-top design also comes with a microfibre collar for added comfort, while EVO cushioning makes for one of the softest footbeds in the Nike sneaker catalogue, meaning no matter your profession these should be on your feet.
Sachs even wanted the sneakers to look as simple as possible, as to suit anyone in the world. The upper comes in a muted off-white, while a tan gum sole that wraps itself around the outer of the shoe. The only colour on the sneakers comes by way of two blue tabs and even the Nike Swoosh comes in a simple white colourway. In essence these are the kind of shoes you can wear to the office, out to dinner and, should you so wish, in the gym.
The best bit? Sachs also didn't want to plant a hefty price tag on the sneakers. Ensuring that they'd suit most budgets, they'll be on sale from tomorrow for £90 at nike.com.
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