Nike Weathers the Air Max 97 With a Flaky "Cracked Gold" Treatment
Following the trend of distressed sneakers.








As the interest for aged and distressed footwear has increased, Nike has taken notice as it debuts a new Air Max 97 with a “Cracked Gold” treatment. While some may prefer to slip on crisp fresh-out-of-the-shoebox sneakers, a good multitude have been trying their hand at aging the uppers or soles such as Daniel Arsham’s distressed Dior x Air Jordan 1 and Nigel Sylvester’s distressed Air Jordan 1 collaboration.
The silhouette takes on a gold mesh upper build lined with strips of reflective overlays above an underlay of black that peeps out from the overlays and mudguards dressed in gold flaky cracked foil leather. A black sock liner and mesh tongue with silver shoelaces contrast the metallic domination over a white midsole which houses a full-length Air unit sealed with a black rubber outsole.
Look out for the Nike Air Max 97 “Cracked Gold” to release in the coming weeks at select retailers and Nike’s website for $170 USD.
In case you missed it, UNDEFEATED has announced the release details for its next Nike “Dunk vs AF-1” pack.