The Sneakers of the Summer Are Football Boots
Nike’s Cryoshot collection, which turns football boots famously worn by Brazilian superstars Ronaldinho and Ronaldo into street-appropriate sneakers, is the final straw. I can now officially say that it is a #bootsonlysummer.
I’ve been openly suspicious about whether this hashtag, which is a call to action for everyone to wear football boots (or soccer cleats, as some prefer to say) as everyday sneakers, is really going to catch on. Until now, I’ve been of the opinion that it’s a fun social media trend that won’t translate into the real world.
Nike has changed my opinion. When the world’s biggest sportswear brand hops on the hype, then it’s time to take notice.
One of the "Cryoshot" shoes in question is Ronaldinho’s white and gold Nike Tiempos, the same model that broke the internet back in 2005 (a video of Ronaldinho on the Barcelona training pitch testing out the new boots by repeatedly hammering a ball against a crossbar became the first-ever YouTube video to hit a million views).
It’s not the first time we’ve seen Nike recently capitalize on this white and gold shoe, having released an Air Max Plus Tiempo in a similar colorway last year. But for the other pair in question, a Nike Mercurial R9, it's a shoe that hasn’t seen the light of day since its 1997 debut.
The boot was purpose-built for Ronaldo (that is R9, the retired Brazilian Ronaldo, not Christiano Ronaldo) with a wavy blue and yellow upper reminiscent of the Air Max 95.
If Nike’s campaign images are to be believed, both models have been frozen in time. Meaning, these shoes stay true to their original football boot form. However, there is one obvious difference, the studs (or cleats) are enshrouded in a hard plastic cover so the shoes can be worn casually. And already, people have been spotted doing so.
Clint Ogbenna, founder of the streetwear label Corteiz, was spotted with a pair at the Champions League final, and alongside him Patta co-founder Guillaume “Gee” Schmidt debuted a collaborative Patta x Nike Cryoshot Mercurial.
No release date has been announced yet for these Cryoshot sneakers, but they aren’t the only shoes of this ilk in the pipeline. Nike’s biggest competitor, adidas, has also teased a pair of its F-50 boots with a similar plastic cover over the studs (there is also no official release date for these adidas shoes).
Soon, you won't have to experience the discomfort of walking in studs on hard asphalt to have a “boots-only summer.” Nike and adidas have almost simultaneously found the same solution.
Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase.
