Nike’s Reborn Classic Hiking Shoe Is Intimidatingly Wearable
Don't call it a comeback: the Nike Air Humara has been here for years. No, seriously. It's just a bit flyer now.
Nike first released the Humara sneaker in 1997, designed with hiking and trail running in mind.
In the 27 years since it hit the scene, the Humara has inspired new shoes but its original form has been hard to come by.
Like many Nike shoe models, the Nike Air Humara eventually took on a life of its own, transcending the confines of its intended purpose as an adventure sneaker into the realm of street-style regalia.
In 2017, Supreme brought back the Humara in a major way, releasing a brightly hued and functionally reflective Nike Humara sneaker which got major eyes on the shoe, tethering its stylistic relevance to off-trail cool. But then the Humara faded into the background for a while.
So when Jacquemus dropped its super-refined version of the Nike Humara in 2022 — a shoe almost too pretty to wear, let alone tear up gritty terrain in — it wasn't just a stylish elevation of the sneaker but a welcomed return.
The popularity of these collaborations, fused with a wide-spanning adoption of hiking shoes as fashion darlings, has been possibly the best priming the new Nike Air Humara could ask for.
From Salomon's XT-4 to adidas' hiking mule, trails and treks have successfully wedged their way into our fashion milieu.
Set to release on Nike's website on August 20 in both black and navy blue colorways, the Nike Air Humara might be the textbook definition of rugged comfort, with the single-tone colorway looking especially tough.
A leather sneaker with a soft foam sole and silver cutouts, this sleek shoe aggressively follows the current trend of performance wear doubling (or sometimes acting solely) as a fashion moment.
Despite the aesthetic fondness the Nike Air Humara has acquired through big-name collaborations, this shoe still has all of the nuts and bolts to make a darn good hiking shoe.
The lugged outsole is designed with traction in mind, a necessity for the uneven and sometimes wet conditions of hiking trails.
Despite the tough exterior appearance, Nike's Max Air unit makes the shoe cushioned and comfy for treks through Yellowstone, Copenhagen Fashion Week and anything you might find in between.
Because in today's style climate, what is fashion without function?
