From the ahead-of-its-time Considered program to its commitment to sourcing renewable energy, Nike has long championed the importance of reducing waste. Ahead of the 2020 Olympics, it's unveiling a new collection that pushes this concept even farther, literally using what would've been trash to create new sneakers.
Known as Space Hippie, the collection comprises four different sneakers, each devoid of distinctive names and instead simply named Space Hippie 01, Space Hippie 02, and so on. Each of the shoes was created using scraps from Nike's cutting room floor, whether it be the recycled T-shirt yarns that help make up the upper, the recycled ZoomX foam from production of the brand's Vaporfly 4% running shoes, or the inclusion of Nike Grind rubber on the outsole.
"I'd say Space Hippie attacks the villain of trash," says John Hoke, Nike Chief Design Officer. "It's changed the way we look at materials, it's changed the way that we look at the aesthetics of our product. It's changed how we approach putting product together."
Seana Hannah, Nike VP of Sustainable Innovation, stressed the importance of looking at the big picture: "We must think about the entire process: how we design it, how we make it, how we use it, how we reuse it and how we cut out waste at every step. These are the fundamentals of a circular mindset that inform best practices."
The Nike Space Hippie 01, 02, and 03 models release this spring on SNKRS, Nike House of Innovation flagship locations, and select retailers. Meanwhile, the women's exclusive Space Hippie 04 is set to drop later this summer.
UPDATE (06/09): Initially scheduled to drop this week, the Space Hippie collection including the 01, 02, 03, and 04 styles will now drop on SNKRS on July 3 for $130 to $180.
