History of the Nike Air Foamposite

A brief look into one of Nike's futuristic creations - behold the Nike Air Foamposite 

Introduction:

The 90s was the ultimate decade of novelty and sportswear brand Nike didn’t fall short in this category. While Christian Tresser was hitching up the grilled mesh grails that we know today as the 97s, Hatfield was putting in overtime in the Jordan quarters with the AJ11s. But there was something as equally as magical being mustered up for our 1997 NBA courts and this came in the shape of the Nike Air Foamposite.

From performing on our hardwoods, falling short in sneaker fandom to becoming a lifestyle icon of recent times, we briefly look back at the history of this out-of-this-world sneaker invention.

Design Process:

Arguably a shoe before its time, the Nike Air Foamposite injected some almost alienesque spirit into the Beaverton ponds. In lament terms, it was the only court sneaker of its kind.  Its fictional muse was dreamt up by Eric Avar and his team of advanced engineers looking to create a sneaker design that was innovatively driven, not only in court performance but offering a snug fit with optimal cushioning throughout. 

However, this process was not as clear-cut as its shell-like design. Eric Avar and his engineering team decided to experiment with their latest upper technology at the time - Foamposite technology. This state-of-the-art technology was formed by pouring liquid polyurethane into a mould and mixing it with heat and pressure to create a sneaker stature that was durable and close-fitting to the foot. 

This sculpted upper would then be adjoined with a lightweight Phylon foam that dresses the midsoles for  lightweight and optimal cushioning throughout. Nike also wanted to cut corners with manufacturing time and invested in special glueing and stitching techniques that would be 5 times more durable than conventional sneaker production methods. 

Groundwork-wise, the Foamposite outsole was sculpted from rubber and carbon fibre which not only delivers stability and grip but was easily moulded into shape to create the model’s futuristic appeal. 

But with any technological advancements, the Foamposite was heavy in Nike’s pockets. Eric Avar had convinced the Beaverton brand to outsource the manufacturing process of the moulds to South Korean automotive company Daewoo, costing them an astronomical $750,000 per mould.

One that would be proven a very wasteful decision by Nike especially as these moulds were remade when the Foamposite One resurfaced in 2007. 

Penny Hardaway’s Shoe of the Future 

When the Foamposite finally ushered its way into the courts in 1997, it was initially launched as two basketball sneakers, the Air Foamposite One and the Air Foamposite Pro. In essence, there weren’t many major differences in structure and composition between the both. The Air Foamposite One kept things rather minimal with its small lateral Swoosh adorned across the upper, while the latter build opted for a bolder Swoosh detail.

In fact, this sneaker was originally in the pipeline for Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen but when Penny Hardaway first laid eyes on the Foamposite during a Nike meeting, he couldn’t look away. He insisted: ‘This has to be my next shoe' and that was the conviction that led to the now-iconic Royal Blue Foamposite One.

Despite the point guard already having two signature basketball sneakers of his own, the Nike Air Penny 1 (1995) and Nike Air Penny 2 (1996), he wasn’t the first to wear the sneaker, the reins were handed to college basketball player Mike Bibby who donned the shoe at a game for the University of Arizona.  

Hardaway would finally wear the Foamposite One sneaker on the NBA courts during the playoffs in a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square on April 4th, 1997. 

To Nike's discontent, when the Foamposite landed mainstream, it took flight on the courts but not exactly on our shelves. One reason behind this that it was marketed as slightly more expensive price point than a traditional Nike sneaker, retailing at $180 - $30 greater than the Jordan 11 released the same year. 

Plus, the new model had to compete against the popular Jordan brand with the sought-after models such as AJ1s, 3s, 4s, 5s  (to name a few) that continued to dominate the basketball market and capture the hearts of Air enthusiasts across the globe.

Foamposite Throughout the Years:

Despite the setbacks in popularity and manufacturing, Nike continued to keep its foot on the acceleration pedal with the Foamposite line later incorporating it into many of its models, releasing The Total Foamposite Max (1998) which carried through the futuristic vice of the Foamposite line but offered a more stealthier midsole with additional Zoom Air cushioning. 

The Air Flightposite arrived shortly after debuting its signature ‘Black/White’ rendition that offered a metallic finish to the shell upper. 

The new millennium cued the Foamposite tooling to take a more eccentric turn with the Clogposite (2000) which delivered a mule-styled offering, followed by the Air Flightposite II (2000) and Air Flightposite III ( 2001). 

By 2001, the Foamposite Pro made its comeback with its first-ever retro, fleshing out another seven colourways in the following 5 years. 2007 celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Air Foamposite One which meant that the model would eventually return most famously in its ‘Royal Blue’ paint up and was repurposed with a slightly more modernised build. 

Continuing its lineage with a range of head-turning colourways,  outlandish designs and collaborations, let's look back at some of the most cherished renditions over the years:

Nike Air Foamposite One 'Royal Blue' (1997, 2007, 2008 , 2011, 2017, 2024)

Nike Air Foamposite One ‘Eggplant’ (2009, 2024)

Nike Air Foamposite One ‘ParaNorman’ (2012)

Supreme x Nike Air Foamposite One (2014)

Comme des Garcons x Nike Air Foamposite One (2021)

Tekken 8 x Nike Air Foamposite One ‘Jim Kazama’ (2024)

Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Spiderman’ (2014)

Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Pearl’ ( 1998, 2009)

Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Red October’ (2015)

Nike Air Foamposite Pro 'Voltage' (1999)

Bottom Line: