In a post-New Balance 1906L world, the sneaker loafer is an incredibly sturdy formula to froth up the sneaker public. Whether those headlines lead to eventual market success has been less guaranteed. Still, brands’ willingness to tap into the market is now well-established, as everyone from HOKA to Nike, Inc. has cooked up a representative in some form.
Nike proper only recently volleyed their Air Max Phenomena into the open air, as atmos founder Hirofumi Kojima unveiled an all-black, Serena Williams Design Crew-crafted edition in all-black. Only days after that announcement, official images of the silhouette have started to trickle out, visited again with the “Pearl Pink” edition at hand.
In contrast to that elegant edition, where a cohesive profile was the goal, here the model takes the exact opposite approach, defiantly pinning a purple patent leather mudguard at the center of a “Tuxedo” style design. As we’ve come to expect from any “snoafer,” worlds-collide hardware is still the beating heart of this colorway, contrasting a traditional buckled loafer upper with the maximalist sole design of the Air Max Sunder, particularly impactful in this variation via a bold white midfoot shank.
The Nike Air Max Phenomena in both this “Pearl Pink” and its first-revealed all-black should be hitting shelves as part of the Fall ’25 slate.
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