Nike Is Re-releasing This Crazy Shoe

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 Sneakerheads have reason to celebrate. After 31 years, Nike is re-releasing one of its most iconic kicks. No, these shoes aren't 

associated with any GOAT basketball player or pop-culture megastar. The shoe brand is giving fans a chance to cop the Air Sock Racer, 

which first made headlines in 1986.

According to Footwear News, the Air Sock Racer is getting a 2017 update with the release of the Air Sock Racer Ultra Flyknit, which takes 

the '80s athletic shoe and propels it into the modern day. If the shoe's looks aren't exactly your thing — they resemble a pair of socks 

attached to a sole via two seatbelt-like straps — know that these sneakers come with a pedigree that few shoes can boast.

Bruce Kilgore designed the original Air Sock Racer. He's the same name behind Nike's Air Force 1 and Air Jordan 2. The Air Sock Racer 

also set the stage for a lot of Nike's current tech with its stretchy mesh uppers (a precursor to Flyknit) and a lightweight, flexible 

sole (pre-Nike Free tech). Originally designed for marathon running, the shoes can withstand 26-mile runs with ease, but collectors were 

more apt to keep them locked away than have them hit the pavement.

The New Nike LeBron 14s Have Serious 'Back to the Future' Vibes

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  There is probably no shoe more influential in the world of sneakers than Back to the Future: Part II's Nike Air Mag. Which is 

impressive considering that, for most of its lifetime, it was essentially a fictional sneaker. But going all the way back to the early 

'90s there's been, among others, the Nike SB Dunk "McFly," the Nike Air "Mag" 90, the Nike KD 5 "Mag," and now, after tapping the 

legendary sneaks for LeBron's 9 and 12 models, Nike is again returning to the Mag well for a new edition of the LeBron 14.

Nike’s Vice President of Innovation Kathy Gomez Helps Keep the Air Max Relevant

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     On March 26, Nike celebrated its annual Air Max Day, honoring one of the most beloved sneaker series of all time. Special Air Max pop-up locations in four major cities were set up across the U.S., to present the rich history of the sneaker, as well as the future of the Air Max shoe design, with its Nike Sneakeasy locations.

In conjunction with this year’s Air Max Day, Nike also celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Air Max 1 sneaker. Known for changing the game with its innovative design and helping push sneaker culture forward, the Air Max 1 still remains a classic after all these years. The brand looked into the future of the Air Max series with a next-generation silhouette, the Nike Air VaporMax. Constructed with a Flyknit upper and an air bubble cushioning system, the VaporMax has been one of the most highly anticipated sneakers since images of the shoe surfaced on the internet a few months back.

During a recent visit to Nike’s Sneakeasy pop-up location in New York, XXL got a chance to check out the Nike’s Air Max activation featuring a mix of retros, remixes and innovations. In addition to checking out the Swoosh’s pop-up shop, XXL spoke with Vice President of Nike Innovation, Kathy Gomez, to discuss the legacy of the Air Max series, the latest VaporMax release and the future of the historic sneaker line. Check out the interview below.

This Brooklyn-based sneaker brand is taking a huge bet that classic is forever

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Though retro and lifestyle sneakers are the predominant trends in footwear these days, and those styles are currently the company's top sellers, Greats didn't necessarily predict that would happen.

"It wasn't a crystal ball. It wasn't forecasting. We're not fortune tellers," founder Ryan Babenzien told Business Insider. "The data's there, it's just how you look at it."

Instead of chasing trends — "We're not a trendy company," Babenzien says — Greats relies on 10 core silhouettes.

"The company is based around the thought that there are a handful of classic silhouettes that are evergreen in the sneaker market, and they may ebb and flow, but these core palettes of silhouettes are what dominate the sneaker industry, period," Babenzien said.

Adidas opens up its Runtastic fitness platform to third-party manufacturers

Adidas is looking to power the backend of more fitness trackers and health-focused hardware in the future by opening up its Runtastic platform to third parties. Instead of circling its wagons so that only it can produce compatible hardware, it wants everyone to have a chance to make Runtastic powered products.

Adidas has had a bit of a mixed experience when it comes to fitness trackers. It recently shut down its MiCoach platform in favor of championing its Runtastic platform, the one it bought as part of the Runtastic app purchase in 2015. That side of its fitness tracking business has been far more successful, but it doesn’t want to stop there. It’s now looking to bring many more fitness-focused customers in to the fold.

“It’s not just about, ‘Can we develop a new piece of hardware that is a standalone Adidas ecosystem,'” said Stacey Burr, VP of wearable sports electronics at Adidas (via Engadget). “You’ll be seeing that we’ll be opening up a bunch of our content and know-how to other third party devices, and [making] it more of an open platform scenario so that we can extend onto other people’s devices as well.” 

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