How does a Nike x Stussy sneaker come about

It all started last March 4th, when A$AP Nast posted on his Instagram a photo of the upcoming collaboration between Nike and Stussy and confirmed in that way the rumours about the return of a glorious Nike model left on the shelves for way too long. It’s a brand new Air Zoom Spiridon Caged or Spiridon ’03, the second version of the shoe designed in 2003 by Steven Smith, in a never seen before colourway. It’s the 'Fossil' colourway, with a strong futuristic vibe. It’s rumoured to be released on March 20th, along with another colourway, the 'Pure Platinum', for the first time seen on Travis Scott’s feet.

The choice to revisit the Spiridon Caged it’s in continuity with Nike's plan to bring back silhouettes designed in the early ’00s, as it has recently done with the Dunk line, a once very sought-after collection by sneaker enthusiasts and now back in the spotlight after years of silence. These new Spiridon Caged come almost three years after the latest reissue of the Air Spiridon model, which debuted for the first time in 1997 and that is named after the first modern Olympic marathon winner: Spiridon “Spyros” Louis. In May of 2018, Undefeated, another pillar of the Californian streetwear scene with a privileged partnership with Nike, posted a photo on Instagram of an Air Spiridon Caged in the classic red and grey colourway. Two years after, it’s Stussy’s duty to revive this iconic model with a twist. 

The collaborations between Stussy and Nike are well-known for taking forgotten and overlooked silhouettes and models and making them hip again. It's been twenty years since the first unofficial collaboration between the two sportswear giants, a really limited Huarache LE only available in the Stussy London shop. The idea came from an intuition of Michael Kopelman, the CEO of the UK Stussy market, and Fraser Cooke, the mastermind behind the most iconic Nike collaborations of the last decades. 

The huge success of this sneaker convinced Nike to embark on a collaboration with a clothing brand and the first was, obviously, Stussy. They released two colourways of a Dunk High, one with a black snakeskin swoosh and the other with a brown ostrich one. They were available exclusively at Stussy Chapter stores in L.A., New York, London and Tokyo and only 24 pairs (12 for each model) a day for two weeks, they caused long queues years before the Dunk Pigeon frenzy. 

In 2005 the two brands came together once again for a Low version of the Dunk and released the iconic Cherry reiteration: a colourway dedicated to the Neapolitan Ice Cream. A mix of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavours on the panels, toe box and midsole with a cherry stitched into the tongue’s label. It became quickly a favourite between SB lovers and only last week a photo of Travis Scott wearing them has made the priced of the sneaker skyrocket on secondary markets. 

La Flame has become the most influential tastemaker in the sneaker world right now and it’s not a coincidence that he was the first with a brand new Stussy x Nike collaboration on his feet. 

The 'Pure Platinum' model, softer and more delicate than the other version, boasts an entirely neutral earth-tone canvas upper, and a black suede swoosh and a black heel cage in contrast. The juxtaposition between the frailty of the materials used and the aggressive shape creates a beautiful balance, similar to the Fear of God collaboration. 

The 'Fossil' has a different vibe, with an upper in grey-silver reflective mesh and metallic leather overlays. A patent leather swoosh and cap-toe, the iconic Pebax cage and four well-placed Stussy logos completed this not to miss shoe.  Two new collaboration for a partnership always ahead of times. 

Stay tuned on nss magazine for all the updates on the release date and the price of the Air Zoom Spiridon Caged x Stussy.