 It's only been two days since I wrote about the supposed death of sneakers. I must report back that today I bought a pair of sneakers. But these aren't just any sneakers. They are the Nike React Element 87 and they feature some of Nike's latest and greatest technology. Nike's engineers did pressure map testing on thousands of people who are on their feet a lot throughout the day and used the resulting data to drill holes into their most recent breakthrough in foam cushioning - Nike React - where they detected the most activity. This foam was combined with an über-cool cork insole and the asymmetrical tongue and translucent mesh of my favorite sneaker of 2017 and 2018, the Zoom Fly SP, to form a shoe that was seemingly made specifically for me. I love how light the Zoom Flys are and the mesh makes them incredibly breathable in the summer months. However, the Zoom Fly SP is a running shoe - and a race day one at that. They are simply not made to withstand be walked around in all summer. The React foam is designed to be more durable, and the React Element 87 has rubber and suede accents that protect the mesh in key areas where wear and tear is most likely whereas the Zoom Flys feature only the mesh throughout. Technology aside, I also think these shoes simply look cool as shit. While the colors are not something I would normally be drawn to, all of the React Element 87s have a wild combination of colors just this side of ugly, and honestly that's one of my favorite things about these shoes. They make you go out of your comfort zone because they're unlike anything you've ever seen before. The reason I got them in this color is because this is the color they had at my favorite local store, August. I love to support the local guy when I can, so when I saw that they got in one of the shoes I've been eyeing since they first released in incredibly limited numbers last summer, I just had to go in and try 'em on. When I did, I found that they felt heavenly and I was pleasantly surprised that the off color combination went perfectly with my newest Online Ceramics tee. When I asked the guy how many they had and he told me they just had the one pair in my size, I got my credit card out before he could even finish telling me the price. So maybe sneakers will never die in my world, at least as long as Nike has a say in it.
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