Zack Schlemmer 
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Nike Air Footscape, UK sneaker purveyors size? have put together a brief history of the ubiquitous runner throughout the years. A unique and eye-catching model since the day it was born, the foot-hugging, asymmetric design of the Footscape has become a cult classic throughout the years, and a silhouette that definitely falls under the “love it or hate it” category. From the original runner from 1996, to the strictly lifestyle interpretations like the Footscape Woven Chukka and soccer-inspired Footscape Magista, check out a few key models in Footscape history here, and get the full story on the size? blog.
(All following words by size?)
Nike Air Footscape OG (1996)
One of the most famous original colourways associated with the Air Footscape is the Varsity Royal/Zen Grey option. Original sales samples of the shoe pictured in 1996 Nike catalogues and even in the print advert (featured further above) featured a black neoprene applied to the interior elasticated tongue, and a swoosh in place of the extruded Footscape logo on the instep. The release version however came in an off-white flexible mesh instead which balanced out nicely with the white midsole.
Nike Air Stasis (1996)
Alongside the original shape, the asymmetric lacing system also lent it’s aesthetic to a host of other shoes in other categories including Dennis Rodman’s Air Shake NDESTRUKT, but running was always its true home. The Stasis used the same material combination as its sibling, with the addition of a chenille swoosh on the lateral side in place of the mini Swoosh on the original style.
Nike Air Footscape 2 Presto (2001)
An amalgamation of two eccentric silhouettes, 2001 saw a merging of the Footscape with the innovative ‘T-shirt for Your Feet’. Key elements of the upper and heel cage from the Presto were re-imagined, and sat alongside the obscure side-lacing system and a brand new midsole unit that took design ideals from both worlds.
Nike Air Footscape Woven Chukka (2006)
First introduced to the world via Nike’s HTM initiative in three colorways in 2005, the mid-cut boot took a construction method from 2000’s innovative Air Woven and applied it to the same midsole unit from the original Footscape style. A worldwide release followed in 2006 and since then even this style itself has evolved significantly.
Nike Air Footscape Woven TZ ‘Striped’ Pack (2009)
Presented alongside an Air Max 1, Air Footscape and the rather obscure Pocketknife, the woven rendition featured an all over monochrome pinstripe material, with a clean white weave running throughout the upper. Released at Tier Zero level, it was only available at very select locations around the globe (the precursor category to the Nikelab product of the modern day). This is also probably noted as being one of the last renditions of the Footscape Woven to feature the original sole unit before it switched over to Motion.
Nike Air Footscape Woven Chukka – (2012)
A further evolution of the woven concept, the handmade Air Footscape Woven Chukka added an extra bit of height to it’s predecessors. With the addition of a ridged Free Motion midsole alongside it’s side lacing system and full wrap around weave, it’s certainly not a shoe for the faint-hearted. Despite it’s ‘Frankenstein’ looking exterior, all these design elements made it an incredibly comfortable shoe.
Nike Air Footscape Magista (2015)
2015 presented us with the latest incarnation of the Footscape’s bloodline. In a move which saw Nike collide the worlds of football with running and lifestyle, we were given a selection of silhouettes which incorporated both categories beautifully. Alongside the Mercurial Superfly, the Footscape Magista utilized the sock-like upper of one of their flagship football boots of the moment, the Magista Obra, and fused it with the Motion tooling from the Footscape series. Kitted out in a full Flyknit woven upper with leather panels on the rear, this gave the underrated Footscape a new lease of life, and brought it back into the limelight for a new level of consumer.
