The deconstructed, DIY approach of the Nike x READYMADE Blazer Mid transforms Nike’s earliest basketball shoe. It features a thinner, longer, half-stitched Swoosh, pulled from the logo’s 1971 version, and the layered upper nests a splotched foam beneath angled leather side panels. The result is an aesthetic that shows off the Japanese brand’s core design values and subtly catches the nostalgia of the brand’s founder, Yuta Hosokawa.
“We deconstructed the Blazer and recreated it without losing sight of its DNA,” the READYMADE designer says. “I have been playing basketball since I was in third grade. The first pair of shoes I bought for myself were Nikes. That’s how I came to like fashion.”
The midsole’s texture adds volume, and was designed using clay molds that were altered during a few trials to balance the shoe’s side profile. Exposed foam surrounds the collar and tongue, and three different sets of laces over the toe box and across the midfoot create an additional layered, hatched effect. A nod to READYMADE’s upcycling philosophy, the rubber outsole is made with about 15 percent Nike Grind, a mix of recycled materials originating from Nike manufacturing scrap and worn-out sneakers that would have otherwise entered the waste stream.
The Nike x READYMADE Blazer Mid releases February 27 on SNKRS, NikeLab MA5 and DSM Ginza in Tokyo, and select READYMADE retail locations.
