Brand: Nike
Model: Blue Ribbon SB
Release Date: 2022
Price: TBC
Buy: TBC
Editor's Notes: Nike, a brand renowned for dressing the world's most elite athletes and sportspeople, a brand associated with greatness and peak performance, loves a consolidation prize. No, not in the literal sense – they celebrate taking part and the love of sport itself; what I'm describing lies solely with sneakers.
We've seen it time and time again; a big name collaborator will step into the fold to remix one of its flagship sneakers, it sets fanfare on fire, and before you know it, a dialed-back general release "lite" version reaches the market.
Here's a great example – the Nike Blazer Mid '77 Jumbo. The silhouette followed the release (not too closely, mind) of the late Virgil Abloh's Off-White Blazer Mid, seemingly borrowing the oversized Swoosh that gave Abloh's iteration such an iconic look.
Perhaps my eyes deceive me, but the new Blue Ribbon SB silhouette looks like sacai's Cortez with all of the frill and detail removed – a "lite" version. Sure, sure, a stripped-down version is more obviously the original Cortez, but the exact color palette and placement of the Swoosh feels a lot more akin to sacai's long-awaited rendition of the silhouette.
The decision to separate this silhouette from the Cortez (in terms of the name, at least) feels strange considering how blatant the remix is. It's no secret that Nike SB often borrows and refits iconic silhouettes to better suit the needs of skaters, but why not call these the Cortez SB?
Needless moaning aside, these are a pretty nice pair of sneakers – the sole grip adds an extra layer of detail, the cutout midsole portion revealing the blue innards is a nice touch, and the vintage-like palette is a work of art.
There are no official details surrounding the Blue Ribbon SB's release as of yet, but we'll be sure to keep you updated.
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