Nike x A-COLD-WALL* Catching Heat?
One Collaboration is Reinvigorating an Old Sneaker
Jeffrey Holmes
May 2, 2019
On April 28, 2019, A-COLD-WALL* dropped a fourth iteration of their collaborative Nike sneaker, the Zoom Vomero +5, in the Redox colorway. A fruit punch take on the brutalist trainer, this is coming off the heels of this year’s Solarized drop, and the Anthracite and Sail released on both brands’ platforms in November 2018. This comes in conjunction with Nike releasing its own retro of the shoe last month, the SE SP. The original Zoom Vomero +5 was touted as a technical marvel for runners when Nike first issued the shoe in 2010,[1] and the decision to retro a shoe so early in its lifespan serves as a sign of the mighty Swoosh’s confidence in it. Breathable and lightweight, the sneaker features a mesh upper and Zoom Air cushioning for a surprisingly durable high-performance running shoe.
On April 28, 2019, A-COLD-WALL* dropped a fourth iteration of their collaborative Nike sneaker, the Zoom Vomero +5, in the Redox colorway. A fruit punch take on the brutalist trainer, this is coming off the heels of this year’s Solarized drop, and the Anthracite and Sail released on both brands’ platforms in November 2018. This comes in conjunction with Nike releasing its own retro of the shoe last month, the SE SP. The original Zoom Vomero +5 was touted as a technical marvel for runners when Nike first issued the shoe in 2010,[1] and the decision to retro a shoe so early in its lifespan serves as a sign of the mighty Swoosh’s confidence in it. Breathable and lightweight, the sneaker features a mesh upper and Zoom Air cushioning for a surprisingly durable high-performance running shoe.
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| Nike x A-COLD-WALL* Zoom Vomero +5 "Redox" via A-COLD-WALL* |
The
collaboration with Samuel Ross’s ACW* imprint marks a radical departure from
the shoe’s intended functionality as a something limited to a piece of a runner’s
ensemble. The ACW* Vomeros feature individual
hand-dying with colors that may change when wet. Ross made the decision to remove several
layers of polyurethane coating to accelerate the aging process and reveal
unique coloration on the individual pairs.
The toeboxes showcase ACW* branding, and the signature swoosh on the
upper is surrounded by light leather detailing.
The choice many sneakerheads have found most divisive is the plastic
heel counter, a literal block jutting off the shoe featuring the Swoosh on the
right shoe, and the ACW* insignia on the left.
This renders the silhouette of what many once saw as an effective runner
without flair as a menacing cyberpunk sneaker.
This
singular detail acts as a counterpart to the shoe’s main features. In a November 2018 interview with Hypebeast,
Ross said, “You’ll find with the reworking of the Vomero a human take on the
beginning and end point of the trainers,[2]”
emphasizing that the brand’s key intention is to highlight the performance
aspects of the runner and juxtapose them with ACW*’s own architectural
influences. Despite looking like a shoe
worn on the set of Blade Runner, the
shoe is designed to tell a story through routine wear, changing colors to where
it no longer matches the shoe one originally purchased. This is compounded by the choice to hand-dye
the shoe, meaning that one pair of Redoxes is effectively distinguishable from
another from unboxing, and these differences will further diverge as the
Vomeros age.
In an
October 2018 Nike press release, Ross said “It is very exciting to take
something that is very beautiful and to not necessarily reinterpret but to
reevaluate the product.[3]” This is the effect spearheaded by the initial
collaboration, with subsequent collaborative drops and Nike’s individual retro
releases proving to recontextualize a shoe that was seen exclusively as a
runner earlier this decade. Evidence appears in the shoe is seeing wear on the likes of Brendan Dunne, a Complex journalist
who wore the Nike Zoom Vomero +5 SP in Vast Gray on a March 2019 episode of Full Size Run.[4]
My own
interpretation of the collaborative Vomero is that it highlights the
relationship between art’s aesthetic and its function. The heel counter appears cumbersome, but
being hollow plastic, it does not add excessive weight to the trainer. This unwieldy detail is still a part of a
mesh runner, making it a comfortable choice for daily wear. It is an inversion of brutalist architecture:
art that looks intimidating but is cozy on-foot. Like with fine architecture, it is a
detail-oriented piece, containing everything from its subtle branding to
durable Japanese nylon lacing. Akin to
how a building is meant to be inhabited, this shoe is intended to be worn; it
is comfortable on-foot, and rewards extended use by changing colors. The cherry on top may be the heel counter,
taking what was once seen as a mundane runner and transposing it to the Torre
Velasca of sneakers.
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| Spring Fit Idea for this Sneaker via @lilslugger2k18 Nike x A-COLD-WALL* Zoom Vomero +5 "Anthracite" Stance Classic Crew "Artifact" Rothco BDU Camo Pants "Ultra Violet" Supreme x Chris Cunningham Rubber Johnny Tee "Pale Mint" |
[1]
https://www.complex.com/sneakers/2014/05/the-evolution-of-the-nike-vomero-running-shoe
[2]
https://hypebeast.com/2018/11/samuel-ross-nike-zoom-vomero-5-interview-document-journal
[3]
https://news.nike.com/news/nike-zoom-vomero-a-cold-wall
[4]
https://solecollector.com/news/2019/03/vashtie-full-size-run
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