Governments and industries alike have been formulating plans to reduce carbon emissions, reverse climate change, and move towards a more sustainable future. When it comes to footwear, Nike has been leading the charge through its Move To Zero campaign and Circular Design Guide. Traditionally footwear has featured a heavy use of glue and other bonding agents to keep structural integrity, Nike ISPA has developed two revolutionary footwear designs that allow disassembly for recycling while still providing a stable sneaker to wear. Through this lense, the Nike ISPA Axis and Nike ISPA Link Axis are born.
Though the brand in the past has developed silhouettes that contain interlocking and modular designs, such as the Presto Clip in 2003 and the Zvezdochka in 2005, the brand is going all in with the Nike Link. Three interlocking modules snap together through the use of pegs on the midsole to construct the silhouette, giving the option to easily recycle the sneaker at participating Nike stores that offer the Recycling and Donation service. The knit and mesh upper appear to borrow some design elements from the Space Hippie line, utilizing a sock-like fit.
Extensive testing went into making sure the model could still be as breathable, flexible, and stable as traditional footwear, with hundreds of hours of testing between 40 athletes. Not only is it revolutionary for its ease of use, but manufacturing the sneaker takes significantly less time than standard footwear, only eight minutes. This, and the reduced energy costs is thanks in part to the lack of adhesives and no cooling or heating required.
Though we’re set to receive the Link first, Nike has big plans for 2023 with the Nike Axis Link. Utilizing a 100% recycled Flyknit upper, the midsole's 100% recycled TPU from scrapped Airbags furthers the Links goal of sustainability. Appearing much more futuristic and bold in its design compared to the Link, the exoskeleton TPU cage provides pop-outs for the circular midsole, though it is only made of 20% recycled materials. As time progresses, more innovation in this design will come with the plan to have a fully 100% recycled silhouette that is easy to disassemble and reuse in the future.
The Nike ISPA Link is set to debut in June of 2022 while the Link Axis will see a release in 2023, both through Nike and select retailers online and in-store. As of now, sizing and retail pricing has yet to be announced. To stay up to date on both pairs of recycled kicks, keep it locked to our Twitter andMobile App to stay up to date on future releases.
Nike ISPA Link
Color: Multi-Color/-Black-White
Style Code: TBD
Release Date: 06/2022
Price: TBD
Images via Nike
Nike ISPA Link Axis
Color: Beige/Sand-Bronze
Style Code: TBD
Release Date: 2023
Price: TBD
