Get in Losers, Tom Sachs is Offering Pre-Orders for a Nike General Purpose Participation Shoe

Earlier in the summer, Tom Sachs and Nike unveiled the release procedure for Sachs’ NikeCraft Mars Yard 3.0. In order to get an opportunity to purchase the sneaker, you had to participate in the ISRU Summer Camp, a mobile app that featured daily rituals and challenges, which netted you points. After all was said and done, those near the top of the leaderboard were given links to purchase the elusive Mars Yard sneaker. Demand was so intense that Tom announced extra winners would be chosen, though their shoes were being sold on pre-order. While the dust has settled on the release of the Mars Yard, and many were left shoeless, Sachs is giving those who lost an opportunity to pre-order a special colorway of his Nike General Purpose Shoe.

Harkening back to the days of the OG Nike General Purpose Shoe campaign, the ad for this ISRU-themed Nike General Purpose Shoe, which was announced on the Complex Sneakers Podcast, blatantly calls us a LOSER. “You lost. You didn’t score high enough. The prize you trained for? It won’t be yours,” the advert reads. “But you showed up. You stepped up to the line. You output before input… The points never mattered. If this is losing, losers are winners.”

This Participation colorway features a grey mesh upper with suede overlays in a tonal grey finish on the toe, eyelets, and heel. A faux-aged finish is applied to the screenprinted Swoosh and onto the rubber midsole. ISRU branding finds a home on the heel tab, tongue tag, insoles, and medial side of the upper. Everything comes finished with a black rubber outsole featuring waffle traction.

Tom Sachs first introduced the General Purpose Shoe in 2022, launching the debut Studio colorway in June and later releasing the Pecan Brown and Archive Dark Sulfur colorways. There were plans for new GPS sneakers and a release for the then-unseen Nike Mars Yard 3.0 in 2023, but due to the scathing story by Curbed, which revealed a toxic culture inside Sachs’ studio, Nike paused its relationship with Tom.

In September 2024, Nike officially announced it would begin working with Tom Sachs again, stating, “Tom has demonstrated and recommitted to fostering a culture of respect and inclusivity. We can confirm that our work with Tom will continue, and this next chapter of NikeCraft will uphold our shared passion for team, product, and storytelling excellence.”

The Tom Sachs x Nike General Purpose Participation Shoe will be released via a pre-order on the ISRU beginning today, September 26, 2025, and ending on October 3. Only those who were not allocated a pair of the Nike Mars Yard 3.0 will be eligible for the pre-order. The pair is priced at $110 and will ship in Summer 2026. Check below for images of the pair, and download the Sole Retriever mobile app for more updates on Tom Sachs x Nike.

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts and catching the latest movies. Email: nick@soleretriever.com