#FactsFriday: Nike Air Huarache
It's 1991 and Nike is asking you ‘Have You Hugged Your Foot Today?'. For those around during this time, it can only mean one thing - the arrival of the polarising Nike Air Huarache.
Named after a Native American sandal, Nike's Air Huarache was designed by Tinker Hatfield - one of the most famous Nike designers ever (Air Max 1, Jordan 1 & 3 by this stage in his life). While Tinker was on water-skis, he noticed how the neoprene sock fit his foot so well.
Back in the studio, he began to develop a project for an unusual silhouette. It consisted of a type of boot covered with an exoskeleton without a heel cushion, instead opting for the solid support of a strap similar to a sandal. Enthusiastic, the Tinker showed his sketches to his colleague Sandy Bodecker who commented on his work by writing the phrase "Sneaker of the Gods" on the paper, explaining that they reminded him of the shoes worn by Greek gods.
Although the Nike team liked the new model, it didn't have the same success among buyers. Orders did not exceed 50 pairs and all of Tinker's work risked ending up in oblivion. Luckily for Nike, a product manager, ignoring the instructions, filled out a fake order for five thousand pairs. The forward-thinking employee took them to the New York Marathon in an exhibition pavilion near Times Square, managing to sell them all in just three days.
First loved by runners, the sneaker quickly became popular in other sectors. If Jerry Seinfeld and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air were wearing it on TV, it was the world of basketball that turned it into a must-have. Huarache was the first to win over the "Fab Five", and then came the turn of Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and Michael Johnson who was the protagonist of a TV commercial for the shoe.
In 1991 alone Huarache recorded 250,000 sales and for a few more years it confirmed its success. Meanwhile, Nike began to produce more and more contemporary and captivating sneakers that put the creation of Hatfield's Huarache out of the limelight.
The model will only reappear again in 2000 when it was reworked for a special collaboration between the sportswear giant and Stüssy. The exact same colourway that released a couple of weeks ago. The Huarache saw a serious reassurance once again around 2013 when it was once again the sneaker to own and rock. Now, with 2021 upon us - the Air Huarache is back! Celebrating its 30-year anniversary, the Nike Air Huarache drops in the OG 'Scream Green' next week!
