With spring approaching, American giant Nike is starting to unveil some ideal pairs for the beautiful days. The iconic Nike Air Rift, also known as the Nike Ninja, will be back in the spotlight.
This surprisingly « wonderfully strange » model dates back to 1996. Its name refers to the Great Rift Valley that runs through Kenya and the black/green/red OG colorway honors the flag of this country. The designer of this silhouette, Kip Buck (with the help of the inevitable Tinker Hatfield) wanted to reproduce the feeling of running barefoot. Its great technicality, with the big toe separated from the others, offers an incomparable comfort : the shoe follows the natural movements of the foot and thus optimizes the running sessions.
For spring 2022, Nike will decline the Air Rift in a few colorways, including the grey/orange recently appeared.
The sneaker-sandal features a soft taupe grey upper with orange piping. The iconic upper and heel straps complete the design with their respective black and electric blue colors. Branding details appear in subtle ways : the model’s name adorns the side panel and Nike stands out in raised, tonal detailing on the back strap. The whole is based on a white midsole coupled with a responsible « Grind » outsole, resulting from manufacturing scraps.
The Nike Air Rift « Grey/Orange » will be released in the coming weeks or months, at selected retailers and on nike.com, for a price around 110$.
