8 of the Greatest Forgotten Nike Silhouettes of All Time
From mid-’80s hiking silhouettes to Y2K running shoes, discover esoteric Swoosh styles curated by @nike_server.
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If you’ve been bombarded with a deluge of obscure Nike sneakers while scrolling through Instagram lately, chances are they ended up there courtesy of @nike_server, aka Linus Nutland. Establishing the handle during his university years, the page has blossomed into a one-stop collector’s resource for the weirdest and most wonderful designs to emerge from Beaverton’s footwear laboratories. You won’t find any Air Jordan 1s or Air Max 95s here. Instead, it’s about pre-ACG hiking curiosities, ’90s hybrids and rarefied releases by the HTM team. Highlighting each silhouette with arcane, origin-related tidbits, Nutland has managed to build a successful community of like-minded aficionados, nurturing expert-level, if-you-know-you-know discourse. Consider it a digital sanctum for the most hardcore Swoosh fanatics.
Naming every Nike footwear model throughout its long history is a nearly impossible, Herculean task, so Nutland embarked on a journey of flagging some of his favorites that have been lost to the annals of time. Arranged chronologically, discover eight of the greatest forgotten Nike silhouettes, from samples to under-the-radar design breakthroughs.
1984 Nike Air Traverse
“The Air Traverse is a prime example of pre-ACG goodness. The silhouette was part of Nike Hiking, a category created before ACG’s inception. This low-profile silhouette is almost an amalgamation of a Waffle Racer and a Lava Dome with some hits of a Dunk and an Air Jordan 2 (on the heel). Quite the mashup! The Air Traverse was the successor to the 1984 Escape, which released earlier in the same year. Finding a pair nowadays is almost unheard of.”
1995 Nike ACG Air Mada Canvas With Vibram Bristol Sole
“This Sergio Lozano-designed ACG model, which recently saw a re-release, is often heralded as one of the ACG greats. The level of detail seen on the ACG Air Mada is incomparable, not to mention the high quality of its construction. On this particularly rare iteration we see thick green cotton canvas, suede paneling, rubber toe caps and contrast cream stitch details. These have been re-soled using a Vibram Bristol sole unit in black, complementing the upper beautifully. The substitution of a traditional hiking sole revives this rare gem of a pair effortlessly, resulting in a truly unique pair of shoes.”
1996 Nike Trog
“The Trog bears a handful of similarities to the Air Snak (both pre-SB skate shoes), the main overlap being that they were both lasted on the Footscape form. This last was the product of intensive research by the Nike Sports Research Lab, and was meticulously designed by Tory Orzeck in the early ’90s. The Trog features suede overlays that reinforce a breathable canvas upper, as well as the same midsole tooling as the Snak. A true piece of Nike history.”
1997 Nike Lien Mid
“One of the models designed for skating before the Nike SB line began, the Lien released both in mid and low-top iterations. The late-’90s silhouette hinted at the innovation that would define later SB models with its partial lace cover protection, Phylon midsole and heel Air unit. Nowadays, both the mid and low versions of the Lien—being skate shoes that got destroyed with wear—are incredibly hard to come by. In general, I’m a huge fan of the early Nike skate models and this silhouette is no exception.”
2001 Nike Silverfish Sample
“It’s easy to say that no other Nike looks anything like this pair. The Silverfish was designed by Kirsten Schambra Stevens (also responsible for the City Knife, Air Max LTD, Air Max Plus TN7 and Air Avow) as a sprinting shoe specifically for the 200-meter sprint. It features a long list of amazing details, such as an adjustable inner strap coming out of the midsole and a scale-like fabric that coats the exterior. This sample pair features printed Nike branding, a detail that didn’t make it to production.”
2001 Nike Solo Flight Slip-On Sample
“This model brings together the Clogposite and the Air Solo Flight. The Solo Flight Slip-On features a laceless construction, with a neoprene-like stretch material on the forefoot and a synthetic molded upper. This pair released in 2001 and 2002 in a handful of different colors. No doubt it remains one of the less-seen models from Nike’s famed Flight line!”
2001 Nike Air Sunder Max
“‘For the athlete preparing to compete in any environment.’ The Air Sunder Max was originally designed for cross-training, however, its futuristic look and unrivaled comfort made it a hit with the streetwear set. Nike released several silhouettes bearing the Sunder name: the Air Sunder Max Mid and Lo, the Air Sunder Mid, the Air Sunder Mid G and the Air Sunder Canvas Lo. We’ve yet to see a retro of these. In my opinion, this is one of the best Nike models to ever release. Very ahead of their time.”
2005 Nike Air Huarache Run Sample
“Since the Air Huarache’s original release in 1991, the model has expanded into its own line with iterations in football, basketball and even skateboarding. The Air Huarache Run is perhaps one of the most elusive models. In some respects, it’s a modernized version of the original with an updated toe cap and heel strap. This sample pair, however, does not feature a toe cap, transforming the shape of the forefoot and making it more reminiscent of the aggressively shaped 1991 design. I personally think these should've been released without the toe paneling!”