Jacquemus Resurrects a 70’s Nike Gem in Latest Collaboration

Simon Porte Jacquemus has revealed his latest example of Nike reinvention mastery, resurrecting what could be the most important silhouette from the brand’s early days as a pure running label.

The Nike Moon Shoe is a prototypical model developed during the formative years of Nike, back when founders Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight were still adjusting to their new moniker, shortly after ditching the title of “Blue Ribbon Sports” in 1971.

When Nike was first founded, Knight and Bowerman set out with the goal of improving the performance of Oregon State University’s track and field athletes — a cause close to Bowerman’s heart due to his own history repping the iconic green and yellow of the beloved Ducks.

Despite never receiving a public release, the Moon Shoe paved the way for ensuing Nike icons such as the Waffle Trainer and LD-1000, which took heed from the Moon Shoe’s groundbreaking waffle sole design — a pattern that Bowerman came up with during a stroke of eccentric genius, where he poured rubber into his wife’s waffle iron after months searching for the ideal sole pattern to provide better traction on the shoes of OSU’s star athletes.

Now, the same talent behind some of the best-executed instances of archival Swoosh reinvention, better known as Jacquemus, is introducing the Moon Shoe to a new generation of fashion-forward athletes, unveiling three colourways that evoke the collegiate spirit ingrained in Nike’s DNA.

Sticking to the same tried and tested principles that have accredited Jacquemus’ previous Nike works on the Air Max 1, J Force 1 and Air Humara LX as future classics, the French design house has faithfully reworked the Moon Shoe to suit its philosophy of poetic minimalism that’s rooted in functionality.

The Nike x Jacquemus Moon Shoe features a ruched nylon upper and recycled outsole, creating what Nike calls a “low-to-the-ground torpedo shoe” that’s garnished with leather Swooshes and heel counters, signed off with Jacquemus logos on the tongue, heel and sock liner.

Priced at $180 USD, the silhouette will first release via Jacquemus’ website on September 29, ahead of a wider SNKRS drop on October 6.

The light-coloured “Alabaster” pair is exclusive to Jacquemus, while the darker “Off Noir” and “University Red” versions are slated for global release.