words_Nick Engvall

Nike’s success has always allowed them the luxury to venture into various niche markets in the sneaker industry. Whether they find success or not, usually only depends on their persistence. Skateboarding and BMX are perfect examples of those ventures in recent years. Back in the eighties, the niche market they chose to go after was the boot industry, more specifically, hiking. The Nike Air Magma was their attempt, and whether they truly found success is arguable, especially compared to the success of Nike SB.

These days Nike’s persistence seems to be in other areas, namely the vulcanized sole. More than a handful of classic performance silhouettes have been given new life (or soul, if you will), with the addition of a simple vulcanized sole. With a variety of releases, from limited Quickstrikes to general releases, there has been a little something for every taste in this new trend. The Autoclave, or AC, version of these classic silhouettes has met mixed response from the sneaker community.

The Air Magma Boot climbed its way into the hiking community in the mid-to-early 80’s. It has also maintained popularity thanks to a number of retro colorways released throughout the years. The Air Magma Boot is the latest silhouette to be reinvented with a new AC edition. Now called the Nike Magma AC, it shares the simple color combination of the classic, minus the rugged sole, making it a nice option for casual wear through the winter months. This Quickstrike edition will release Saturday November 21st at Mita, and should arrive at other Nike Sportswear locations in the US in the coming weeks.