Nike Air Kyoto - Size W8 (2002)
- original box & tote bag included
- women's size 8, men's size 6.5 (25cm)
- 9.5/10 condition: fully intact with faint marks throughout the uppers, but no indications of prior wear; in very good unworn vintage condition for being 21 years old - likely wearable, but ideal for collection or display purposes as-is
- features wrap-around elasticized polyester mesh uppers, kimono-inspired V-shaped throats, synthetic suede heel counters, heel mounted (?) encapsulated air units, low-profile overlasted phylon (?) midsoles, longitudinally channeled carbon rubber outsoles, and a polyester open mesh tote bag; made in vietnam
- the rustic temples & serenity of zen gardens (枯山水, karekansui) found throughout the historic city of kyoto, japan inspired footwear designer martin lotti (now VP/chief design officer for both nike & jordan brand) to create a shoe that reflected the same principles & beauty of absolute minimalism; with the inherently self-reflective & contemplative nature of their design inspirations it seemed only natural that this model would be constructed with yoga practitioners in mind, though the concept of practicing yoga outdoors while wearing a pair of nikes seemed outlandish at the time - however, this was exactly what women's global footwear director darcy winslow wanted for nike's new "goddess" line of shoes & apparel
- for years, the brand had struggled to cater to its female demographic, and winslow's introduction of nike goddess stores across southern california was a push to change the ultra-competitive, hyper-masculine brand image the swoosh had been associated with: the goal was to provide practical, sensible, stylish athletic products designed with women in mind first & foremost, and the elegant simplicity of the air kyoto is a prime example of that design philosophy
- a handful of colorways & variations of this silhouette exist (i'd recommend checking out @sabukaru.online's post), though none of which have been revisited to date; this is a very rare opportunity to own a near-perfect example of lotti's early work with nike