NikeLab's Top-Secret Release of the Acronym Air Presto

Piecing together the clues on the Acronym Prestos.

NikeLab Acronym Air Presto Mid
Image via Acronym
NikeLab Acronym Air Presto Mid

It appears that NikeLab is taking a clandestine approach to rolling out its latest high-profile collaboration, opting for back-channel messaging and unexpected launch times rather than straightforward press releases and release dates. The tone and obfuscation make sense given the partner in the project—Acronym, a wilfully hushed brand whose technical gear feels straight out of a dystopic, surveillance state future.

Nike hasn't said anything about the shoes yet. Its social media channels are devoid of mentions of the teched-out Air Presto Mids that make up the collection. But the accounts of Acronym co-founder Errolson Hugh have offered clues. There, he's posted imagery of the pack created by artist Kostas Seremetis, along with details of a limited launch in Berlin (where Hugh is based) on Wednesday, Sep. 8.

FIRST IN FIRST OUT - APM-ACR tonight: BERGSTRASSE 77 / 8-11PM / 10115 Berlin @nikelab @KSeremetis #acrnm CA$H ONLY pic.twitter.com/BXYrti8iQm

That local launch spread to the internet unexpectedly, with Hugh tweeting out an announcement about the shoes hitting the Acronym webstore at 2 p.m. Berlin time on Thursday, Sep. 8. Stock quickly disappeared.

NikeLab Air Presto Mid ΛCROИYM® available at 14:00 CET today. https://t.co/HwDBY9yQfi only #headsup #acrnm #nikelab pic.twitter.com/IPvC3IbaNG

Where will Nike go from here? It's not likely that the brand will let the launch pass without a proper release on nike.com, but for now all is quiet on that front. Watch with us in the coming week as clues on this secretive release accumulate.

Nike Acronym Presto