1984 Nike Metro SMU Running Shoes

A beautiful Nike Metro Special Make Up with Nike S.O.(Southern Oregon) printetd on the heel panel 

popped up on ebay.
According to the seller the shoes were made for a Southern Oregon track team member back in 84.

All pictures after the Jump

Nike Jefferson Starship SMU

Throwback Thursday

Markus Thaler's 1/1 golden micropacer, which was given to him for his 
40th anniversary at adidas. Thaler was one of the last employees to work 
directly with Adi Dassler, as he had been with the brand since a teenager. 
He kept pushing the boundaries of design, creating some of the most 
iconic silhouettes like the famous ZX line and under his guidance designers 
where constantly encouraged to learn all aspect of footwear manufacturing 
- from traditional methods to technical innovations. 
I took this picture in Tokyo 2016, when I was lucky to spend some time with 
the trefoil icon.

How Many Vans Make You Happy?

Vans nerd Henry Davies gives a wonderful insight into his collection and 
the great customization opportunities Vans offered back in the days.
His store 'The Other Side of the Pillow' in Clapton, East London, is the place 
to get your hands on some ultra-rare Vans heritage. 
Via

Nike "High Heel" Prototype SMU/DCEC

pictures from Gary Moran

Experimental LDV Nike DCEC Group

"This shoe was made to watch the movement of the foot while running. 
High speed film of this is available also. 
So cool these didn't end up in the trash can..."

All pictures by Lindy 'the Don' Darrell

Blue Ribbon Sports History

1979 Nike "DCEC" SMU Franchise Low
from Nike's Design Concepts Engineering Committee
with Concentric Out/Mid Sole
B.R.S. Inc.

"DAVE COWENS" Boston Celtics SMU Size 15
signed by the "red headed beast

Via Lindy "the Guru" Darrell

Nike Frank Zappa SMU

Check out these Nike SMU's for Frank Zappa!
Looking like a pair of Lady legends, I love the Devo-like writing on
the heel with the matching rainbow coloured laces.



Via Gary Warnett

Rasta Man

A few weeks ago I already wrote about these here and in the current issue
of Sneakers Magazine.
Now I have some picture material of the Nike Bob Marley SMU.

Owner of this beautiful piece (until his sudden death in 2005) was LA based
Adam Frank Gilbert, who inherited it from his Dad; The actor Ron Gilbert,
apparently a friend and supporter of Bob.
It must be from the late 70's since it is made in USA...

Nike Special Make-Ups: Sitcoms

After Nike entering the lifestyle Era with musicians and sports
celebrities, the company found a great marketing segment in sitcoms.
Probably the most impressive selection to me was to be seen on
The Cosby Show(1984-92):

but Nike also brought up the big guns for series like Seinfeld(1989-98),
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-96) or Home Improvement (1991-99).











“The first house call anyone can remember the Nike Lady making
was to the Seinfeld set. Her impact was immediate–especially on
the show’s star, who apparently had an unambiguous sense of
entitlement. Seinfeld’s appetite for free sneakers became legendary.
His office overflowed with shoe boxes, and one ex-writer remembers
Jerry emerging “like Evita, tossing extra sneakers to the staff.”
In time the staff members too became hooked, and for them Tracy
provided a catalog in which they could check off whatever they
wanted. “It was everything–running shoes, hiking boots, sandals.
People were taking up extreme sports just to get the shoes.”
(From ‘Sneakers In Tinseltown’ by Garry Trudeau — Time Magazine,
April 1998)


1994′s ‘Air Seinfeld’: a canvas Nike GTS from 1994.

Here some examples of Jerry's appearances in Nikes
(see more of Gary Warnett's selection here)
















Watch any re-run of Home Improvement, and witness just how much
Nike Air gets screentime. Tim Allen was prone to wear Agassi signature
shoes with lurid color pops, and the Tool Man's kids had bulky
basketball classics for days. Her's my faves selection:









How do you repay that kind of loyalty? To celebrate the 100th episode in May
1995, Nike made a special makeup with Binford Tool company branding on it.
The sneakers were simple but culturally significant.

The 1995 Nike ‘Binford’ ‘Home Improvement (Nike Air Edge II ?)