It’s shaping up to be a big season for Nike boots. In addition to a just-announced Stüssy collaboration featuring the reissued Baltoro, another one of Nike’s outdoor models will have increased visibility this holiday season.
A look at two previously unseen Nike Air Max Goadome styles in faux pony hair were shared Monday on Instagram by streetwear designer ASAP Bari. Both pairs are fully covered in the synthetic fur, with one opting for a fully blacked-out Black/Black/Black look and the other donning a cow print Sail/Cacao Wow/Sail/Black combination. They both include black rope laces and black Air Max-cushioned, ACG-branded midsoles.
The Nike Air Max Goadome originates from the Beaverton, Ore.-based sportswear company’s ACG (All Conditions Gear) line. First introduced in 2000, the Air Max-cushioned boot is typically constructed in leather and was originally intended to compete with brands like Timberland which had gobbled up market share for outdoor footwear. More specifically, Timberland’s iconic wheat boots and field boots had a firm grip on inner-city consumers who had repurposed the shoes for street style. Prior to the Goadome, Nike struggled to compete in the space, which led former Nike ACG senior designer Carl Blakeslee on an international mission.
Upcoming Nike Air Max Goadome boots in pony hair.
@younglord
“The idea was to take some of the heritage Nike sneaker design language that we all know very well and make it work on a boot. An athletic boot…An easy equation really, but we hadn’t done it yet at Nike in a form or silhouette that really felt boot-like and not like a sneaker trying to be a boot. My whole motivation for this direction was…hanging around in NYC, seeing how important the Timbs were and how it would not be a smart move to try and knock them off the shelf. Rather, I wanted to provide an alternative or better yet, a second pair of boots at the register,” Blakeless told the blog Elitaste in 2008.
This isn’t the first time exotic materials have found their way to the Air Max Goadome. In 2021, streetwear brand Supreme collaborated with Nike on two colorways of the boot draped in faux snakeskin.
The Nike Air Max Goadome in black pony hair has a style code of IO4635-001 while the cow print-patterned colorway’s style code is IO4635-100. Both colorways are scheduled to be released this holiday season at a retail price of $230 each.
