Nike’s archives are studded with models and designs ready to return to the scene year after year. Their prominence as true icons of the past is easily recognizable, yet it is also clear that many vintage silhouettes can be successfully relaunched on today’s market and be perfectly adapted to fit contemporary tastes.
Nike’s Air Kukini is just one of the brand’s many “caged” models. However, the backstory of the model in question has particularly deep roots: it is closely connected to an ambitious project by the Beaverton-based company, and above all, to the so-called History of the 5 Dots.
In 1999, Nike—after years of successful technological experimentation that had seen the launch of the Talaria and Foamposite models on the mass market—wanted to focus on creating high-level shoes to improve the sports performance of its athletes. Thus, the Alpha Project was born. Ken Black created (and obtained approval from Nike’s board) a logo depicting 5 dots, associated with the project in question. Nike needed a logo that would make the high-performance sports section of the company recognizable, but could integrate harmoniously with the swoosh, without overshadowing it. Many models by the Alpha Project have long fallen into oblivion, some have become niche in Japanese secondary markets, and others, such as the Air Presto and the Air Kukini, continue to be remembered.
The story of the Kukini is interwoven with the story of designer Sean McDowell, who, working alongside the triathlon athlete Mark Allen, realized he had to overcome a fundamental problem many athletes encountered. Those who practiced this type of sport refreshed themselves by splashing water on their heads, which then spilled down their legs and got into their shoes, weighing down the soles and worsening their performance. McDowell, therefore, understood that to improve the shoe, the best solution would be to perforate the soles so as to drain the water. Another detail that took the sneaker to the next level was the creation of a silicone cage that would compensate for the model’s lack of laces, keeping the foot firmly sealed inside the sole. Over the years, the Air Kukini has become a well-established model within the lifestyle world and has maintained all the features that in 2000 were reserved exclusively for the world of professional sports, including an extremely durable Duralon outsole, which forms the basis of the model’s mesh upper.
Some twenty-two years after its first release, we are seeing the Nike Air Kukini back on the shelves in its OG silhouette. Although the OG structure has not been reintroduced for some time, during the last decade we’ve caught a few glimpses of the Kukini: in 2012, a hybrid model with the Free Run sole was created, and, more recently, in 2020, a hybrid version with the Stüssy used the sole of the Spiridon Cage.
The latest version will be released on May 26th, in the Leopard colorway, with Lemon Venom and Topography variations to follow.
