Former Nike Innovation Kitchen Employee is Now Selling Rare Samples on eBay
Your chance to own part of the sneaker giant’s design history.
A former Nike Innovation Kitchen employee has now teamed up with Swoosh historian ShoeZeum to sell an assortment of rare samples. Working at the experimental division for more than thirty years, the ex-employee amassed quite a collection of wear-test prototypes and unique creations that just never made it to production.
Before many of Nike’s signature silhouettes made it to production, they were given first life in the Innovation Kitchen. The testing ground for styles that ranged from Shox to Marc Newsom‘s innovative Zvezdochka clog, the Innovation Kitchen creations were never made available for public sale, making this bevy of samples an extremely rare opportunity to own a piece of Nike history. Accompanying the unique shoes is an array of toys, books and memorabilia, some of which was available to employees only.
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Standout sneakers include a Foamposite Snowboarding Boot, an original mold Air Foamposite One, Air Force 1 infused with Shox, various sample Air Rifts, a Penny Hardaway-signed Air Prevail and some waffle-sole sandals. Many of the oddities are in pristine or wear-test condition, with little-to-no wear and plenty of attached sample tags ideal for collectors. There’s also a selection of rare goods on hand, like Nike-exclusive BE@RBRICKs, Swoosh Golf Tees and a deadstock Nike Timing LeBron James watch.
Take a look at some of the rare samples above and head over to ShoeZeum’s eBay page to check out all of the offerings. Then, check out Shoezeum founder and owner Jordan Geller’s YouTube channel below.
Nike might be dipping into its own archive for a forthcoming release: Hiroshi Fujiwara recenntly teased an potential Air Ship reissue.
