Nike has created controversy with the debut a new slip-on sandal silhouette dubbed Calm. Debuted in one of four colors, the sandals’ soft curves and foam material story have been compared with Yeezy‘s Slide, a silhoutte debuted by Adidas in December 2019.
Offered in black (style code: FD4116-001), teal (FD4116-300), sesame (style code FD4116-200), mint (DX4816-300) and sail (FD4116-100), Nike’s foam shoe features shallow gripper ridges and a Swoosh on the footbed and a thick outsole finished with a ridged bottom similar to Nike’s Air Force 1. The upper is also embossed with a small, tone-on-tone Swoosh.
Nike’s version of the Yeezy Slide is viewed as noteworthy because the powerhouse brand tends to lead not follow, making the Calm a not-so subtle hat tip at the power of Yeezy’s designs. It’s also meaningful because Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) was once a Nike collaborator. When in 2013 he reached an empasse with Nike on compensation, he left the brand and launched Yeezy brand with Adidas, a relationship that imploded late last year when the German brand dumped him after he made a series of antisemetic statements.
Nike isn’t the first brand to take inspiration from the Yeezy Slide. There are multiple take downs of the silhouette, including a version by Adidas that was called out by Ye before their relationship ended.
Priced at $50 (versus $xx for the Yeezy Slide) Nike’s Calm will launch sometime in fall 2023.
