TOM SACHS, NIKECRAFT AND THE GENERAL PURPOSE SHOE
For over a decade, Tom Sachs and Nike have partnered to create some of the most sought after sneakers in the world.It all began in May 2012, when the first collab sneaker dropped and since then Sachs’ involvement has snowballed. That first shoe, the NikeCraft Mars Yard Shoe is a legendary sneaker that has paved the way for everything NikeCraft since. The shoe was so beloved by sneakerheads that it received a 2.0 version five years later.
Riding off of the hype of both Mars Yards, NikeCraft would then release another iteration two years later, the Mars Yard Overshoe. This shoe didn’t gather the same type of love as its predecessors due to it looking like an actual space suit boot. But the hype remained, and after three years Sachs’ returned with a different mission. One that steered away from the hype and exclusivity and turned more towards quality, simplicity and attainability.
NikeCraft Mars Yard (2012), NikeCraft Mars Yard 2.0 (2017), Nike Mars Yard Overshoe (2019)
Midway through 2022, Tom Sachs and Nike released the General Purpose Shoe or GPS for short. Unlike any of the previous releases, this sneaker looked a lot more… normal. This new shoe from NikeCraft on the outside looked like your everyday shoe, but that was the point as it was even deemed “boring” by Sachs himself. In order to move away from the hype that drives sneaker culture, Sachs shifted the focus to creating a product that was made to last rather than one that was made to flash.
The General Purpose Shoe had succeeded in simplicity and quality, but left many questioning how attainable the shoes were. While the previous three models were priced at $385, $200 and $550 USD respectively, the GPS comes in at a respective $145 CAD, which is already a step in the right direction. On top of the pricing, NikeCrafts new everyday sneaker is not only cheaper, but also receiving larger production quantities than past pairs as well as more colourways.
Left: Light Cream/White/Light Bone, RIght: Dark Sulfur
June 2022 was the GPS’ debut with the Light Cream/White/Light Bone colourway and following that, only three months later was the Dark Sulfur (Yellow) colourway. Already staying true to the plan, Sachs and Nike are continuing their streak this February with the Pecan/Field Brown (or simply Brown) colourway.
The NikeCraft x Tom Sachs General Purpose Shoe Pecan/Dk Field Brown releases Tuesday, February 7, 2023 in-store at 11:00 AM with any remaining pairs hitting the OTH website at 6:00 PM.
PS if you miss out and you absolutely love the look of the shoe, don’t worry about it, we’ve got you covered right here!
