Nike is still very much trying to capitalize on the slim, low-profile shoe trend that was started by the Samba, doing so by reviving its 1980s American football staples in the Field General and Astrograbber.
The problem is this: hype can’t be generated if the streets ain’t talking first. That’s why the Field General failed, and that’s why the Samba was a success. Long before Wales Bonner immortalized the sneaker with her animal printed pairs in late 2023, the Samba organically became a fixture in fashion hotbeds as a response to the over-saturation of Dunks, Air Force 1s, Air Jordan 1s, New Balance 550s, and other leather basketball retros that were mass produced to fill a mainstream demand. It was that specific era that killed those business pillars, eventually playing a role in sending Jon Donahoe packing and why the 550 just looks…annoying.
When Nike announced its partnership with Bode in early 2024, it was so awkwardly clear that they were trying to position the brand as their Wales Bonner in order to replicate what Grace was able to do with adidas. The unfortunate truth is that the Samba has more of a legacy in sneaker culture than the Astrograbber ever has, no matter how many times Nike will tell you that Travis Scott liked the shoe in 2017 or how many mood-board accounts re-post pictures of a 1980s Dan Marino wearing the shoe on the field.
So, predictably, the Astrograbber is finally arriving in stores as an alternative to the Bode collaboration that is too expensive to buy now (well only one of them is out of reach, the rest were meh). We already previewed the Aluminum blue and Soft yellow, but there’s a sharp hunter green pair with sail accents that’s dropping later this Fall too. The colorway is nice, the Astrograbber is indeed a Nike fanatic’s cult gem, but it’s playing from behind because adidas is still crushing it with the Samba and nearly every other brand brought their slim-fit product to market sooner.
WHERE TO BUY
After Market
- M 4.5 / W 6
- M 5 / W 6.5
- M 5.5 / W 7
- M 6 / W 7.5
- M 6.5 / W 8
- M 7 / W 8.5
- M 7.5 / W 9
- M 8 / W 9.5
- M 8.5 / W 10
- M 9 / W 10.5
- M 9.5 / W 11
- M 10 / W 11.5
- M 10.5 / W 12
- M 11 / W 12.5
- M 11.5 / W 13
- M 12 / W 13.5
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