Its innovative design and fit were incredible: the exposed sock and minimal upper were the only visible technologies. This was called the "Huarache fit" and was at the heart of the Air Huarache's appeal. The combination of the stretch grip neoprene and Spandex provided a foot-hugging fit. The inspiration for the concept of the "Huarache fit" came from the old Native American sandal called Huarache. The only Nike branding on the running shoe was the large "Nike" lettering on the rubber heel strap. Nike also produced limited edition versions of the Air huarache in 1992. They came in earth-toned colours with addition of a nubuck upper, which made this version ideal for the winter climate. This was the last in the series of colourways of the Air Huarache in the 90s. In 2000, the Air Huarache in the original green/royal blue colourway hit the market once more.
(from "SNEAKERS- The Complete Collector's Guide")
Nike Air Huarache - The history of the "neoprene sandal“
The silhouette of the Nike Air Huarache is unmistakable. It is a favorite among collectors and sneaker enthusiasts. A sneaker you either love or hate. We'll show you how the Air Huarache gained its cult status.
Inspired by water skiing, design legend Tinker Hatfield created a shoe concept that would incorporate a sock-like neoprene look and feel. The focus was particularly on the technology. "I remember getting my feet into my water skis, which has a neoprene bootie. Just as I was being pulled out of the water, I had a vision of how great that would be for a boot. The next morning I made this sketch". Hatfield describes the idea for the design. The giant Nike swooshes did not appear on this shoe. On the other hand, Nike designed its own logo for the Air Huarache.
After its release in 1991, the Huarache was welcomed with mixed feelings. One of the main reasons for this was, the deviant design, which was aesthetically different from all other Nike sneakers to date. Even if one could argue about the design, in terms of performance, the shoe was a real innovation. The first 5,000 pairs of the Air Huarache were sold to marathon runners, who gave overwhelmingly positive feedback. This was largely due to the shoe's comfortable fit. Nike made this feature its own and played with the catchy advertising slogan "Have you hugged your foot today?".
The hype around the Nike Air Huarache starts
It was only a matter of time before the Air Huarache found its way into pop culture. Two of the most prominent TV stars of this era helped the Hua to a real hype: Jerry Seinfeld and Will Smith. The famous duo wore the sneaker in Seinfeld and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The momentum continued and the Huarache discovered the basketball world. With the Air Flight Huarache, the Hua got a basketball update and quickly became the favorite shoe of the "Michigan Fab Five" in 1992 - a college team that boasted future NBA stars like Chris Webber and Jalen Rose. Thanks to its performance profile, the shoe went far beyond college basketball. NBA legends like Reggie Miller and Scottie Pippen spent a time of their careers in the Air Flight Huarache.
30 years Nike Air Huarache - The comeback of a legend
Over the course of the 90s, dozens of Air Huarache variants followed. In 2021, the Hua celebrates its 30th birthday and returns in the OG colorway. Besides a lot of white, the Air Huarache "Scream Green" convinces with green, blue and also black color accents. And that's not all: Stüssy and Nike pay tribute to the cult sneaker again 20 years after their first Huarache collabo and bring back the two OG colorways of the 2000s collabo: the brown "Desert Oak" and the green "Dark Olive" provide proper retro vibes and give the shoe a very simple look.
Whether you're a girl or a boy, the Nike Air Huarache is arguably one of the most exciting silhouettes in the sneaker game that belongs in every good sneaker collection. We're happy to see the Hua making its comeback and would love to embrace it every day.
How does the Nike Air Huarache fit?
Please note: We have noticed that the Air Huarache runs smaller than normal, so we recommend choosing a half to full size larger.
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