The Nike Air Max Muse, a bulbous new silhouette added to Nike’s range only 10 months ago, has wasted no time. As soon as the chunky shoe hit the market in December 2024, a varied selection of new material executions and distinct color combinations followed. 

But the Air Max Muse’s latest reinvention is its most opulent to date. The sporty sneaker is growing crocodile scales.

With this release, Nike continues its exploration of animal-inspired textures. Within the Air Max lineup alone, several other sneakers have recently gone reptilian.

Crocodile leather is typically the highest-end variants of handbags offered by luxury maisons like Hermès and Gucci.

Nike's embossed leather doesn’t come from the swamp but does call to the high-gloss decadence, reframing the Muse as a casual sneaker with more lofty ambitions.

The collection of croc-ified Air Max Muses arrives in three monochromatic colorways: stealthy all-black, burgundy, and a dark shade of marine blue. The trio of reptilian Muses launches later this year on Nike’s website for $170 apiece.

Compared to the Muse’s more maximalist past iterations, which relied on loud sporty coloring to stand out, these shoes are all about texture that comes alive at the touch.   

The Air Max Muse is a proven winner. The futuristic women’s sneaker first won fans over with its exaggerated proportions, electric metallic flashes, unexpected ballet references. Even today, as it continues to surprise with new reptilian details, it's hard to deny that the Muse can do it all.

Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit the HS Style Guide for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.