Vintage Ad: Nike Air Zoom Spiridon

Join us for another Vintage Ad where this time we remember the Nike Air Zoom Spiridon runner.

words // Zack Schlemmer

Nike was on a roll in 1997 when it came to running shoe designs, as they released the iconic Air Max '97, the flashy Zoom Talaria, and the shoe you see in this ad, the Zoom Spiridon.  While the Air Max was the fashionable shoe, and the Talaria the loud one, the Spiridon was perhaps the best of the three: a pure performer, but still with plenty of style.

One of the first running shoes to utilize the new Zoom Air technology, the Spiridon featured a sleek and lightweight design constructed with a mostly mesh upper (long before the days of Engineered Mesh), speed lacing system, and its signature metallic Swoosh.  "Instant Classic" and "Cult Following" are definitely terms that get thrown around with many mentions of the Spiridon, and while we wait for a proper re-release (remember that basketbal shoe version?) amidst the sea of Air Max 1, 90 and 95 retros, let's take a look at one of Nike's best in all of its original glory.