Two heritage American brands are teasing a high-profile collaboration that’s leaving some shoppers scratching their heads.
Nike and Tiffany & Co. on Sunday simultaneously posted images of the athleticwear titan’s signature, Swoosh-adorned shoebox in a seafoam shade known to the masses as “Tiffany Blue.” The brands tagged each other, captioning the image, “A legendary pair. Coming soon…”
Over 24 hours, the post has garnered 1.2 million likes and thousands of comments—many expressing excitement about what the team-up could entail. But rumblings about the effort began about a week ago, and unauthorized imagery of the upcoming sneaker release has started to make the rounds online.
On Jan. 23, @NiceKicks tweeted two images of a Nike Air Force 1 Low in black nubuck leather with a Tiffany Blue Swoosh on the side. The monochromatic silhouette also features a black outsole and laces, with a silver plate on the heel counter bearing Tiffany & Co. branding and a 925 stamp indicating its sterling content. Since then, other users have posted photos of the sneakers showing “Tiffany” emblazoned in silver script across the shoe’s tongue, and a trio of included alternative laces in white, blue and yellow.
The reaction to the leaked photos of the sneaker, which will reportedly cost $400, has been mixed.
Angie Thomas, young-adult fiction author of “The Hate U Give,” tweeted, “You mean to tell me Nike teamed up with Tiffany and Co and THAT’S what they came up with??” ABC producer Joyce Philippe wrote, “I want to know who designed the Tiffany x Nike collab. There was so much potential there, and yet…”
Twitter user @sophiahliu wrote “So Tiffany literally just gave Nike their color hex code and called it a day?” summarizing frustrations shared by many that the leaked design was somehow lacking. “Brands, it’s ok to not do every single collab opp that comes your way,” she added. Meanwhile, memes of “The Devil Wears Prada” villainess Miranda Priestly giving the shoe her deadly side-eye are trending.
But the chatter won’t deter some dedicated sneakerheads. One Instagram user joked that the slogan for the collaboration should be, “Just Propose”—a play on Nike’s “Just Do It” Tagline. Alexandre Arnault, Tiffany & Co. executive vice president of product and communications (and son of LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault), wrote “Ultimate blue box!”
While the brands’ Instagram post confirmed that the drop is forthcoming, neither party has announced a date. The shoe, officially named the Nike Air Force 1 Low Tiffany & Co. “1837,” was named for the year the New York jeweler was founded.
