The Artemis II launch isn’t the only moon mission making headlines this week.
The big news? More than 50 years after its creation, a historic Nike sneaker is finally touching down. The legendary Moon Shoe, one of the Swoosh’s first sneakers — and most influential, spawning a half-century of performance design — is scheduled for imminent terrestrial contact.
For those unfamiliar with Nike’s lunar lore, this is a huge deal. While a trip back into the Nike archives isn’t all that unusual these days, especially with decades of iconic designs to pull from, the Moon Shoe is highly unique, in both history and design.
Named for the crater-like imprints its sole unit left in the dirt and specifically crafted for pro athletes competing in the 1972 Olympic Marathon trials, the silo was the first to pioneer Nike founder Bill Bowerman’s instantly recognizable “waffle” sole unit, kicking off a legacy of innovation that would eventually evolve into the record-breaking super shoes and ergonomic high-stack trainers the Swoosh-loving public have come to know today.
Adding to the intrigue, the Moon Shoe was never actually released in large quantities — legend has it that a few pairs made it out into the world, with Nike reporting that a “very limited run of pairs were available for purchase in the fall of 1972 at Nike’s Athletic Department store in Eugene.”
The combination of scarcity and legacy lead to the silhouette instantly becoming something of a cult icon and a highly sought-after collector item (like, $450,000 sought-after), and while its design DNA inspired a variety of other seminal Swoosh styles, Waffle Racer and Astro Grabber chief among them, Nike has historically been hesitant to reboot the style — until now.
After teasing the silhouette in a handful of extremely limited-edition, pastel-centric shades with French luxury label Jacquemus, Nike is finally giving the Moon Shoe a mass-market release in a retro-leaning “Soft Pearl/Black,” landing on the SNKRS platform on April 3 and across wider Nike retail on May 7, all for a very affordable $105.
The initial colorway, delivered in a fresh white and black, features the signature low-profile fit and gridded waffle sole unit, a mixed-media upper of leather and nylon, and vintage-leaning details that include a massively oversized swoosh accent, heel tongue and OG Nike logo.
The sneaker might have been yanked straight out of the Space Age, but, with its torpedo-style shape, it’s a silo that’s both highly nostalgic and shockingly trendy, making it perfect for the warm months (read: sneaker weather) ahead.
Don’t fret if you miss out on this one — Nike has already promised more lunar missions, teasing a deep navy (modeled by none other than Olympic sensation Alysa Liu) and soft yellow colorways.
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