The Citizen, released in 1999, had exposed Zoom cushioning on the bottom, but it was too open and prone to collapse under compression. While the Air Zoom Spiridon Cage 2's name places it as a sequel to the original cult favorite Air Zoom Spiridon from 1997, it was partly inspired by the Zoom Citizen, Smith says. In addition to being popular in Japan as anticipated, the 2003 Spiridon moved strong units in Italy, Spain, and South America. The designer says that the goal of making it more palatable worldwide worked-when he sold his old pairs on eBay after taking a job at Adidas in 2010, most of them went to Brazil, where the techy runner became a favorite. Smith left the forefoot space relatively open, intending to allow the foot more flexibility there.

It used open-screen mesh on its upper for ventilation and a combination of Phylite and rubber on the outsole. The shoe, originally labeled the Air Zoom Spiridon despite the first Spiridon releasing years before (Nike wasn't as keen on attaching numbers to sequels back then), arrived in 2003 at $100 for U.S. 'It was the right thing to do,' he says now. Smith says that after he acquiesced, Nike showed the Spiridon to retailers at a sales meeting and booked in at 800,000 pairs on pre-order. His only request was to put one little piece of rubber in the front of the shoe, bolstering it ever so slightly for a worldwide audience. 'People are really excited about that shoe, and what we want to do is make it more broad in its appeal.' He wanted Smith to make the sneaker more global and less attuned to Japan, specifically. 'People are so excited about it-don't take it the wrong way,' Smith recalls Jones telling him. One of Smith's original Spiridon sketches. They showed it and people went nuts, and they upped the projected forecast to 80,000.' 'The original forecast was for 40,000 pairs it was briefed for 40,000 pairs. 'The Japanese guys were loving it,' Smith tells Complex, recalling initial reactions to the shoe before it hit the market. (Smith's current job title is design director at Yeezy, where he works on Kanye West's latest sneakers.) Nike's approach to the retro hasn't exactly been quiet-it tapped longtime collaborator Stüssy for two special editions, and Travis Scott was spotted wearing them-but has been short on the historical background of the design. The sneaker, designed by sportswear industry journeyman Steven Smith, has returned in 2020. These were all part of the path to production for the Nike Air Zoom Spiridon Cage 2, a specialty runner originally intended for the Japanese market that first released in 2003. What runners-those in marathons, specifically-might want is a shoe that can drain out any water that could splash footward after they douse themselves at a mid-race pit stop. Another piece of footwear feedback to jot down. Nobody wants their sneakers to fall apart underneath them, either. Nobody wants people to see their sweaty feet as they run.

Nike zoom spiridon