The Return of the Galaxy Foamposites
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, unrest hit the sneaker world. A shoe released that would forever change the way the world looked at sneakers. People slept on sidewalks outside of shopping malls, paid thousands of dollars, and even rioted to secure a pair. The shoe that caused all of this pandemonium was the Nike Foamposite One 'Galaxy’. The Galaxy Foamposites are the pinnacle of Nike’s marketing efforts to generate lore over limited edition sneakers. To understand the significance of the Galaxy Foamposites, one must first understand the era in which they were released.
A Different Era
The year is 2012. The concept of limited edition sneakers is not yet mainstream and the sneaker aftermarket was in its infancy. Sneaker releases were mostly in-person events. Nike was releasing shoes via Twitter, but the e-commerce experience was buggy, at best. Generally, if you wanted a shoe, you had to get in line outside of your mall’s sneaker store before everyone else and wait. The seeds planted through hip hop and the subculture of sneaker collectors were finally beginning to sprout around this time. Finally, the masses were becoming aware of sneakers through silhouettes like the Nike Air Yeezy 2, Nike Air Mag, and the Nike Roshe Run. On top of this, the entirety of Nike’s Basketball sneaker line was reaching unprecedented sales numbers. Shoes like the Lebron 8, KD 4, and Kobe VII were being worn more off the court than on. And, of course, the Nike Foamposite One was having a MOMENT.A Recipe For Disaster
Sneaker releases were becoming gradually more chaotic. Some stores were beginning to implement raffles for a chance to buy anticipated shoes. Most, however, were still operating on a first-come first-serve basis. Consequently, the system was holding on by a thread. All it would take to unleash pandemonium would be one shoe. One, must-have, shoe had the potential to turn a sneaker release into a public safety nightmare. Nike had conjured up just the shoe, the Galaxy Foamposites. What do you get when you combine a highly limited brand-new concept on the year’s ‘it-shoe’ and an in-person first-come first-serve sneaker release? Unfortunately, chaos. This release sparked major changes in the sneaker world. Companies began releasing their most anticipated sneakers exclusively online. In-person releases were held exclusively via the raffle system. The sneaker resale market as we know it today was born.The Return of the Galaxy Foamposites
Fortunately, after 12 years, the Nike Galaxy Foamposites are coming back. For all of my old heads out there, let me repeat that. The Nike Galaxy Foamposites are coming back (and we can't wait)! Prominent leaker @zsneakerheadz has confirmed that The Swoosh intends to re-release the infamous sneaker in 2024. This only makes sense, as we’ve recently seen retros of other prominent shoes of that era such as the Lebron 9 ‘Big Bang’ and Lebron 8 ‘South Beach’. Unfortunately, times are different and trends have changed. These retros released to minimal fanfare and some even sat on shelves. Personally, we’re hoping the same fate isn’t in store for the Galaxy Foamposites. Should Nike re-release the Galaxy Foamposites? Or should The Swoosh let these legendary sneakers just remain as a piece of sneaker lore?Feature Photo By: Stadium Goods
Leave a comment