Introducing: The Nike SB Adversary
Originally styled exclusively for the tennis courts, the Nike Adversary profile was intuitively conceptualized by legendary Air Force 1 designer Bruce Kilgore in ‘82. With its grippy rubber outsole and wear-resistant construction, the sneaker was well-strung to deal with the hot-footed demands of fast-play racket sports, whilst its laid-back character made it in-tune with nostalgic sports culture. Sticking to its OG blueprint, the heritage profile gets a skate-specific re-work for 2020 in the shape of these lightweight, board-ready Nike SB Adversary Shoes.
Regenerative revivals have swiftly become a thing for Nike SB with these Adversary’s sliding on in to join the ranks alongside creative throwback remouldings such as the ‘Truck It’ pack Dunk High Pro Shoes, the soccer-esque Gato and Grant Taylor’s skate-ified Nike SB Blazer Lows. Ever-faithful to Nike’s technical advancements and the brand’s sporting prowess, the contemporary skate and street scene now appears to be honing in on a past-meets-present vibe - something we’re definitely not complaining about.
A sneaker that matches the Nike SB Shane with its unique ghillie-loop lacing system, the Nike SB Adversary has been progressively remastered to cater to the demands and down-hill desires of the modern-day skate scene. Delivering an urbanised flair that still hints towards its court-side origins, these low-profile sneakers let suede and meshed materials mingle together whilst the designs tacky rubber outsole and EVA foam-cushioned midsole really let the shoe’s structure talk for itself. Robust enough to tackle grind sessions and high-vert halfpipes head-on, yet refined to just the right amount to suit more casual streetwear styling, these traditionally laced, Nike SB-embossed throwback sneakers are signed off with an easy-going mood to match. Unveiling similarities to both the Nike SB GTS Return Premium’s multi-textured presence and the herringbone-outsole styling on the Blazer Low GT, the Nike SB Adversary pairs colour, cocooned construction and OG court-side flair together seamlessly.
Blending fit with boardfeel function, four unique colourways for the recently released Adversary Skate Shoes have been unveiled for 2020, with the Pine Green, Photo Blue and Black-on-White variants available here at Flatspot. Inspired by both the original ‘70s Nike Killshot silhouette and its 2019 J. Crew x Nike Killshot 2 revival, the punchy white and pine green variant sets about delivering a sprucy spark of colour to the laid-back kicks, whilst the more simplified white and black version supplies a more filtered tone that slips in alongside styles such as the summit white toe-boxed Blazer Low XT Shoes from 2016. For a more eye-catching guise the photo-blue colourway syphons inspiration from the ‘02 ‘Colours By’ series-released ‘Mulder’ SB Dunk Lows.
Bringing all there is to admire about performance-enhanced footwear and urbanised retro aesthetics to the forefront of contemporary skate and streetwear, the Nike SB Adversary does much more than fortify its foundation - it fuses both skate-specific necessity with a fuss-free formula to create a new-found identity that’s guaranteed to square-up with pre-existing heavyweight contenders.
Shop all Nike SB at Flatspot.
