Patrick Johnson 
Nike recently brought back one of their strangest retros in the Nike Air Rift last month. When created in 1995, the Rift’s main objective was to strip down a running shoe to its most basic components in order to provide runners with as lightweight a performance model as possible. What resulted was the unique construction that was almost-sandal like thanks to an exposed forefoot, a laceless construction that opted for a lockdown strap instead, and a truly unique split toe. If it wasn’t comparable to a sandal then, Nike took the Rift a step further with this NikeLab Free Rift Sandal. The outsole adds the ever-malleable Free technology for an enhanced precision to flexibility, something that matches the Rift’s continuation of the split-toe. The silhouette was originally designed for volleyball athletes, but will hold you down for every day use this summer if you’re looking for a change of pace in your sandal game. Available this Thursday, May 7th globally, the NikeLab Free Rift Sandal will arrive in the U.S. on May 28th.
