The Nike Shox was once touted as the future of performance footwear. But it wasn’t mean to be. In fact, the high expectations proved its downfall. It’s design too divisive. The final product may not have performed as well, but the process that led to it opened doors for a new paradigm to be ushered in, a new way of thinking, a new way of integrating science into footwear.

Given its status now on the upper echelon of lifestyle sneakers, thanks to a large boost by the hands of Comme des Garçons and Drake, maybe it was just too ahead of its time. It was the world who was late to the party.

Last seen in 2019, the black colorway of the women’s exclusive will be making a comeback in 2023 in the same outfit, while followed behind by its white counterpart.

Both will feature a singular uniform colorway, with a conspicuous red hit on the tongue branding. The signature sole unit will anchor the pairs in function and aesthetic. A mix of open and ballistic mesh will form the upper, along with glossy TPU overlays, and as a finishing touch comes the 3M reflective panels on the crown and forefoot.

No firm release date has been set but expect to find them on Nike.com sometime in the fall next year. A US$170 price tag has been attached to them.

In other sneaker-related news, check out the Air Jordan 5 Low “Chutney”, another women’s exclusive.