Narrowing down the best Nike shoes for men seems like a proper Olympic task. Since setting up shop in the mid-1960s, the skilled Portland-based company has churned out one sneaker after another, expanding into fashion footwear while maintaining its commitment to performance excellence.
But no great sneaker brand is built on hype (or cultural cachet) alone. Quick collaborations and covetable signature models are great for short-term gains, but to stick in it long term, you need a roster of available silhouettes for people who don’t care about waking up for a new day. Lottery. Nike knows this well, they didn’t become the biggest name in sneakers without producing a ton of heat that never cools down.
SNKRS certainly has its time and place, but you can fill shoe racks at an elite level without ever downloading it. These days, in fact, the vast majority of Nike’s most influential kicks are available on its website or at any vintage sneaker store in your city, no delivery required. So, to help you dress like a pro, we’ve rounded up 8 heritage Swoosh silhouettes you should be aware of, each primed to make you the star of your Wieden+Kennedy set.
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Nike Air Force 1 Low
Even for sneaker newbies, the Air Force 1 needs little introduction. When he hit the hardwood in 1982, AF1 seemed destined for the Hoops Kicking Hall of Fame. However, over the years, it has become even more surprising: one of the most iconic sneakers of all time, a design so beloved, especially in low-top silhouette, that it has become synonymous with the Swoosh logo itself. Its chunky sole and leather upper cemented it as a streetwear staple beloved by New York hip-hop legends and New York stage actors alike, and although it has been offered in everything from silk brocade to Louis Vuitton leather, it doesn’t… Cockle white is still hard to beat. (Or black, if you’re feeling bad).
Nike Cortez
Decades before Jeremy Allen White made it a staple in his endless wardrobe, the Nike Cortez shoe was a symbol of calm and relaxation. Although the design debuted in 1972 as Nike’s first-ever sneaker, just like the Air Force 1, it has long since outgrown those roots. (Run a 10K and your knees may never recover.) If the AF1 is the quintessential NYC Nike shoe, the Cortez rules the California—especially when paired with shorts and white tube socks pulled over the calf. More than 50 years after it first forayed into the sports car market, the Cortez looks as fresh as any of its more formidable counterparts, and still more accessible.
Nike Blazer
The Swoosh’s third silhouette ever was introduced in 1973 as a basketball shoe, and quickly cemented itself as one of the coolest high-top shoes in the game. (When you’re George “The Iceman” Gervin’s favorite sneaker, the cool design is stitched into your sole.) Over the years, Blazers have become beloved by gym rats and skate rats in equal measure, who appreciate the abbreviated silhouette. Rugged and durable appearance. (One of the most notable iterations of the shoe is the SB model designed with these features in mind.) Like many vintage Nike shoes, the Blazer tended to look best in the solid wood tones of its teens, but it has also been the subject of buzzy collaborations with the likes of Stüssy and Off- White and Sacai. If you’re looking for a no-frills sneaker that pairs as well with jeans as it does with shorts, look no further.
Nike Dunk Low
Ask a sneakerhead if the Nike Dunk is cooked and you’ll get an answer the length of a Tolstoy novel. We’ll save you the hassle. In a word: maybe? In two words: who cares? All this fuss can’t hide a basic fact: The Dunk Low is a near-perfect silhouette, and has been since it first dropped in 1985. It’s evolved leaps and bounds ever since, moving from the hardwood to the skate park to the streets of every country. fashion capitals of the world, becoming one of the few bona fide sneakers of the 2020s. Do yourself a favor and skip irregular colors in favor of simple, classic group shapes. Or better yet, pick up a pair of Panda Dunks – a great pair of black and white sneakers is always a statement.
Nike Killshot 2
Once forgotten in the Swoosh archives, the Nike Killshot 2 has recently exploded in popularity thanks in large part to an exclusive deal with J.Crew. During the boom in the retailer’s menswear era, the Killshot 2 became the go-to for people looking for shoes that could be worn with everything from pocket shirts and khakis to Oxford shirts and raw jeans. For a while, J.Crew literally couldn’t keep the shoe on shelves, blowing through restocks at the speed of the Jordan’s long-awaited landing on the SNKRS app. The era of menswear may be over, but make no mistake about it: The Killshot 2 remains a versatile sneaker worthy of a place on your shoe rack—just ask Josh O’Connor.
Nike Air Max 1
You can’t compile a list of the best accessible Nike kicks of all time without mentioning a Tinker Hatfield masterpiece (or five). The legendary sneaker designer has more classics to his name than Jay-Z, but the Air Max 1 remains one of his most enduring products, the alpha of the brand’s influential Air Max line. Have you ever seen a pair of Nike shoes with a “bubbly” air unit in the sole? The AM1 is why – it’s ground zero for one of the coolest sneaker innovations in Swoosh history. They also haven’t aged a day since their debut in 1987, somehow bridging the gap between vintage, street-ready looks and modern-day functionality. Today, the Air Max 1 has become something of a sneakerhead cheat code — lace up a pair and you’ve earned yourself a little extra credibility.
Nike Air Huarache
When Tinker Hatfield designed the Huarache shoe in the early 1990s, emotions at Nike headquarters were confused, to say the least. At the time, the sneaker’s surfing-inspired silhouette — built around a neoprene sleeve with a modified back strap — was far from elegant, but what threw Beaverton’s best for a loop was what the sneaker was. He didn’t do that You have: Large spray on the outside surface. The Huarache was very unique, Hatfield remembers thinkingIt simply didn’t need a logo, a smart instinct that anticipated Nike’s commitment to performance above all else – and inspired a lot of forward-thinking and forward-thinking. strange Bottom line sneakers. Demand for the Huarache may have reached its modern-day peak in 2010, but more than 30 years after its debut, there’s nothing quite like it in the Swoosh archives. These days, it feels equal parts vintage and futuristic, a delightfully chunky silhouette that inadvertently foreshadowed menswear’s ongoing fascination with increasingly oversized kicks. For around $150, you can’t ask for much more than that.
nike terminator high
Think of the Nike Terminator High as the midpoint between the Blazer and the Air Jordan 1, an on-court classic that remains an essential part of the evolution of basketball sneakers. Terminators shoes were a staple of college hoops in the 1980s, and the Georgetown Hoyas famously wore them in player-exclusive colors during the legendary 1984-85 season. Head coach John Thompson worked with the Swoosh earlier that decade and used his influence in Beaverton to acquire the champions’ signature kicks befitting their reign. While their competition has taken over the Dunks, the Hoyas — and only The Hoyas rocked the Terminators, cementing their legacy as the kind of sneakerheads who line up in droves for the police. Fortunately, following a resurgence in 2022, picking up a pair is easier than ever, as Nike now keeps the Terminator available in a variety of retro-esque colourways.
