From the Vault: Nike Air Foamposite One Galaxy
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By Stadium Goods |From the Vault: Nike Air Foamposite One Galaxy
A look at one of the most hyped sneakers of all time on the 10th anniversary of its drop.
Matt DeSciora
It goes without saying, but everyone’s opinion on what the “best” sneakers are is subjective.
On the other hand, there are quantifiable ways to determine the most hyped sneakers. Historically, if the hype around a sneaker is so great, it will have caused people to camp out in front of sneaker stores for a week prior to its release, have incited “riots” at stores on release day, and—my personal favorite—have made people go as far as to offer their cars in trade for a hyped sneaker.
To my knowledge, there has been only one shoe that’s done all three: the Nike Air Foamposite One “Galaxy.”
Released over NBA All-Star Weekend in 2012, the “Galaxy” Foamposite was part of a larger collection of “Galaxy” colorways by Nike that honored the game held in Orlando, Florida. The brand looked to nearby NASA headquarters, the Kennedy Space Center, for inspiration for the space-themed collection. In addition to the Foamposite, Nike also released three Dunks, a Zoom Rookie, Flight One, KD IV, LeBron 9, and Zoom Kobe 7 in “Galaxy” colorways. There were also several Player Exclusive Nike Hyperdunk “Galaxy” pairs made for All-Star Game participants Deron Williams, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Iguodala, and Amar’e Stoudemire. But it was the Foamposite One “Galaxy” that everyone wanted.
The retro basketball shoe was in the midst of a resurgence in popularity at the time as a new generation of collectors were introduced to Penny Hardaway’s former signature shoe with colorways like the “Eggplant” and “Copper” in 2009 and 2010, respectively. There was also another Foamposite out in the wild that made Foamposite and sneaker aficionados get hype: the sample “Galaxy” worn by former Nike Sportswear’s Gentry Humphrey at a Sole Collector x Nike Penny Pack release event in 2011.
Before Humphrey’s pre-production “Galaxy” Foams, no one had ever seen the sneaker with any kind of pattern on it. This was a monumental move in early 2010s sneaker culture. Remember, it’s 2011, and we’re still a few years before wild collaborations and exotic materials would become en vogue. Can it be that it was all so simple then?
The “Galaxy” that was released at retail features a much darker galaxy print than Humphrey’s sample, but is no less spectacular. It features a red “Remove Before Flight” flight jacket-inspired tag and a glow-in-the-dark sole to go along with its out-of-this-world intergalactic patterned body.
The Nike Air Foamposite One “Galaxy,” along with the Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” from 2009 and the Air Jordan 11 “Concord” from 2011 boosted interest in sneaker culture like few other shoes ever had before them. Couple those releases with the rise of Instagram around the same time period, and you have the perfect storm of sneaker hype. Everyone wanted to be the first person on their timeline with the latest dope sneaker in their possession.
In retrospect, not much has changed in the ten years since the “Galaxy” came in like a meteor from outer space to disrupt the sneaker world on February 24, 2012. Folks still want the latest and greatest kicks today. And some are still slippier to obtain than others. Whether you like the hype, raffles, and resale prices in the current sneaker game or not, we partially have the “Galaxy” Air Foamposite One to thank.