John Kim 
If ‘Sneaker History 101’ was ever an available collegiate-level course – and perhaps it is in some accredited schools as an elective – the topic of Jeff Ng would be week-long feature of lectures and PowerPoint slideshows (coincidentally, Jeff now teaches courses at NYU and Parsons). For those not familiar with the name Jeff Ng, we’ll use his adopted nickname of Jeff Staple, which is derived from his own clothing label of the same name that has blossomed into Staple Design and the Reed Space of the Lower East Side. Outside of his legendary sneaker collaborations, Jeff was a beast in the urban scene, working as a designer, writer, artist, blogger, DJ, and entrepreneur, but let’s limit this feature to simply sneakers because, we’ll, there isn’t enough space and time to cover all that Staple’s done. We’ll continue to narrow it down by focusing just on Nike, particularly the mid-2000’s era when he played a role in a number of projects like the Considered Series, the legendary Pigeon SB Dunk, and today’s Classics Revisited feature, the Air Max 90 of the ‘Navigation Pack’.
The ‘Navigation Pack’ arrived in 2004 when Nike focused on New York City, London, and Tokyo and tapped local resources to re-work classic Air Max models with their respective city in mind. Jeff, representing New York City, created a men’s and women’s colorway of the Air Max 90 using distinct colorways and details, most notably the laser-etched print of an aerial view of New York City on the upper. The concept of the design revolved around the idea of “walking around New York City”, and quickly became a coveted item in the area where sneaker collaborations were a hot item. Both the men’s and women’s colorways also featured hiking-style laces and speckled granite midsoles to further accentuate the ‘navigation’ themes. Of course, one year later, Jeff would be asked by Nike once again to represent NYC with an SB Dunk, therefore solidifying his name among the ‘Who’s Who’ of sneaker history. More shots of both Air Max 90 ‘Navigation Pack’ releases below, so take a look and stay tuned for more of Air Max 90 Week here on Classics Revisited!
Staple x Nike Air Max 90 ‘Navigation Pack’
Jetstream/Boulder-Stealth-Dark Copper (WMNS)
308820-021
2004
Olive Grey/Dark Blue Grey-Sable Green (Mens)
308856-001
2004
Photos: thecoolshoeshine/dunk
