Samuel Ross' A-COLD-WALL* once again brings his architectural mind to Nike, this time stripping the Air Max Plus down to its frigid beauty with two earthy colorways, "Stone" and "Onyx."
ACW* turns up the texture and turns down the contrast on the Air Max Plus' butterfly-like membranes with the usage of what A-COLD WALL calls a "thermo-molded exoskeleton" atop its full-grain leather uppers.
Fascinated with the wear and tear of city life, Ross intends for the shoes to naturally weather over time.
A-COLD-WALL* and Nike have been teasing these collaborative sneakers for months, dropping previews of the stark colorways over 2023. The first drop, which consists of the "Onyx" (black) and "Stone" (white) Nike Air Max Pluses, launches September 12 via A-COLD-WALL*'s website.
Ross has also teased a stunning "Varsity Blue" colorway that isn't included in this release. According to secondhand site StockX, the shoes will drop in February 2024.
Whether it means removing the laces from Dr. Martens or trading Converse's signature star for a more understated logo, A-COLD-WALL* has become a coveted partner for household names, entrusting iconic silhouettes to be broken down into striking simplicity.
Nike's longstanding relationship with ACW* is entering its seventh year in 2023. The pair's Transatlantic connection began when the American sportswear brand helped fund Ross' first runway show at London Fashion Week in 2016 when he was an up-and-coming designer.
A year later, Nike handed over its Air Force Ones for A-COLD-WALL to transform into a bare-bones love letter to everything that makes the shoe so reliable.
2018 saw the radical transformation of the Nike Vomero Zoom +5, which Ross stripped of its protective coating so that the shoe would weather, again paying homage to ACW*'s affinity for visible, organic degradation.
That same year, the young designer followed his first Air Force One collab with a transformed Nike Flyleather AF1, which utilized recycled materials for a sleek, clean silhouette.
ACW*'s footwear collaborations go beyond Nike, as evidenced by round two of its sleek collaboration with Timberland. Ross gave Timberland's rugged boot a full reset, including full-grain leather uppers, a side zipper, and an obscured lace system.
Pushing back against the desire for perfection and cleanliness with designer shoes, Ross encourages everyday stories to be told through scuffs and scratches, with each layer intentionally peeling off to reveal more of ACW*'s brilliant, brutalist vision.
