The Nike Air Huarache Runner represents a major bet for the swoosh brand and has excellent chances of proving to be a winning choice. One of the latest silhouettes from designer Tinker Hatfield‘s Air Huarache line, born back in 1991, features more or less the same aesthetic, but with a cleaner and fresher look that fits perfectly with the current successful trainer trends.

At the time, Tom Hartge, a Nike agent, was confident in the great value of Tinker Hatfield’s new creation and decided to bring the Air Huarache to the 1991 New York Marathon. Here, he started selling them directly to the participants from the Nike stand set up in Times Square. It was an unusual strategy that managed to generate great interest around the new product, and in the following weeks, demand skyrocketed to half a million pairs. The advertising referred to an existing social campaign with the famous slogan “Have you hugged your foot today?”. In addition, Nike’s television spot with the future record holder Michael Johnson, who had won the gold medal in the 200 meters in Tokyo, was a futuristic and memorable experience.

The new Air Huarache Runner sneaker debuts in a Light Smoke Grey colorway and is based on a mesh and neoprene structure with Black suede leather overlays. A slight squint is all it takes to realize that this model is almost identical to the original Air Huarache from three decades ago, to the point of even having the rubber tongue, but the overall shape and dimensions have been slightly modified to achieve an aesthetic in direct competition with New Balance‘s 990 line. We are faced with a sturdy and graceful shoe with just the right touch of elegance.

Nike Swooshes are embroidered on the lateral and medial sides and are located on top of a cream-colored foam midsole that has been treated with Air technology to provide enhanced comfort and cushioning. The sneaker also features an updated heel counter, which still unmistakably harks back to the OG version from the early nineties.

The American sportswear company has recently announced that it will slow down the releases of its products to focus on brand storytelling for “building deeper connections, innovation, and increased engagement.” The Huarache Runner Light Smoke Grey will be one of the first to experience this new direction, and Nike has shown quite confidence that it will sell out immediately.

The retail price of the Nike Air Huarache Runner Light Smoke Grey has not been officially confirmed yet, but we expect them to arrive on Nike’s official website with a price range between 140 and 170 euros. Meanwhile, the resale page for purchasing this model is already active on StockX.

The article was originally published on AllinReplica UK