Riccardo Tisci x NikeLab Air Zoom Legend
171Evoking a chelsea boot-inspired aesthetic, a style that Tisci has always expressed his affinity for, the silhouette is also defined by incorporating the sole of the Aqua boot — a shoe made for water sports like sailing and windsurfing — which Nike debuted in 1990.
Tisci says;
“I wanted to combine Nike’s rich experimentation in boot silhouettes with my love of the Chelsea Boot, in particular,” “Shoes like the Nike Aqua Boot or SFB Boot have been equally embraced by niche sport communities and adopted as style staples. After our first collaboration in 2014, when I designed an Air Force 1 Boot for Nike, I knew I had even more visions of this kind of sport style to realize.”
Creating two versions of the shoe, one with a basketball-inspired black mesh upper, colorful heel and ice outsole — the second version dons a grey floral pattern embroidered on a black, woven jacquard upper and white midsole. In contrast to the shoes’ intentionally minimal uppers, both outsoles contain geometric midsole tooling inspired by Rio’s curvy Copacabana sidewalks.
“The shoe juxtaposes Rio’s lively beach life with inspiration from Brasilian modernist architecture and the formality of a gentrified Chelsea boot.”
Finishing details include leather lining, pull tabs and foot beds, as well as a heel clip that has the RT logo, star and swoosh branding.
