Nike Space Hippie Sneaker Guide
The new trend is sustainable, but few shoes know how to transform scraps into something stylish like the Nike Space Hippie. These environmentally conscious shoes are made entirely using recycled materials and scraps, inspired by the life on Mars idea that materials are scarce and there is no way to get new supplies. T-shirts, plastic bottles, and post industrial scraps are just a few of the items that have been recycled into the Flyknit yarn technology of your Nike Space Hippies. These shoes are a part of Nike’s plan to ‘Move to Zero’ with zero waste and zero carbon to protect the future of sports. The shoes themselves can only be described as funky; they incorporate all sorts of bright colors and patterns along with neutral and use string and lace decals never seen before in Nike shoes. With inclusive women’s sizing offered as well, anyone can take part in Nike’s zero waste mission and this new funky space-like trend. Read on to find out sizing, pricing, colorways, where to buy, about Nike brand, and release date info on the Nike Space Hippie.
History of Nike: From Moon Shoes to Space Hippie
It all began in 1964, and it hasn’t died down yet. Nike brand was founded by Bill Bowerman, coach at University of Oregon, along with Phil Knight, a previous student. On January 25th, they founded Blue Ribbon Sports on their mission to optimize athletic footwear. It started off as a distributor working from the back of a car at track meets for imported shoes, mainly the Japanese Tiger brand. After working as a distributor for Tiger, they eventually ended up changing their name to Nike after the Greek goddess of victory to create their own sneaker. By this point, a student at Portland University had already sold the ‘Swoosh’ logo design to Nike for a price of just $25.
The first Nike shoe was called the Moon Shoe and was a product of Bowerman’s curiosity. He wondered if grooves like he one in his waffle maker could be used on the soles of a shoe for better traction in sports. It was eventually called the Nike Waffle Racer. Then came the Nike Cortez, which was a more popular hit and debuted in the Mexico games. The shoe did have a bit of controversy, though. The Cortez was originally designed by Tiger, but Nike tried to sell it under the Nike brand name. A court ruling ended the dispute and stated both brands could sell the shoe under their names. In upcoming years they gained even more popularity and added their ‘Just Do It’ slogan to the brand, as well as released apparel under the Nike name.
In 1984, Nike offered Michael Jordan a large sum of money plus two new cars for a partnership. Jordan had hoped for an offer from Adidas, but he took Nike’s offer, and the world famous Jordan Brand was born with the Air Jordan 1. This era was also extremely successful for Nike with the release of the Nike Air Max shoe which utilizes pressurized air bags in the sole to keep shoes lightweight and comfortable. It wasn’t just Jordan that Nike worked with– in 2003, they bought Converse for 309 million dollars. They also teamed up with Apple three years later for Nike plus technology, which would allow runners to track their distance and speed with an iPhone GPS app. Two years after that, they bought Umbro, and English sports apparel brand. They later sold this brand. 2012 marked the year that Nike invented Flyknit technology, which is also used in the Space Hippie shoe. It’s a comfortable knit that uses different high strength fibres in the upper for one piece of breathable material.
Nike Space Hippie Release Info and Features
The Nike Space Hippie released June 11th, 2020. There are four models that all released at the same time, the 01, 02, 03, and 04. 03 was the most limited due to the scarcity of material for it’s exterior. The byproducts of production for this shoe aren’t thrown away, and to make them, Nike uses recycled t-shirts, plastic bottles, and other production scraps. The Flyknit upper uses 85 percent recycled bottle fibres. It’s woven into one piece for flexibility and breathability, as well as comfort. The box that the shoe arrives in is also made of recycled cardboard. The shoe is available in many colorful and neutral toned colorways, some with laces and some lace-less, and it’s available in both men’s and women’s sizes. There’s something for everyone and every style!
Nike Space Hippie 01
The Space Hippie 01 was originally sold for $130 and is made of at least 50 percent recycled material by weight. Like the other Space Hippies, it uses recycled “Space Waste Yarn” on a Flyknit upper and a soft Crater Foam Midsole. The original is a high top with a grey upper and colorful rainbow speckled laces that do not need to be tied. The midsole is light blue and the stitched Nike Swoosh is scarlet, with a white heel tab with light yellow branding. Squiggly ‘eyelets’ for the laces are black with scarlet stitched accents.
Nike Space Hippie 02
The Nike Space Hippie 02 is made of 50 percent recycled material by weight. It’s a high top shoe featuring ‘’Space Waste Yarn” made of bottles, t-shirts, and production scraps. The insole is made of ZoomX foam scraps and it features a soft Crater Foam Midsole. While many Nike’s are shipped in a double box, the 02 ships in a single box made of recycled cardboard. The original 02 has a light blue midsole with white grid like stitching on the upper, which is grey. The Nike Swoosh is stitched on and scarlet, with a white heel tab that has a little yellow flower on the top. It does not have any laces and was originally sold for $150.
Nike Space Hippie 03
The Space Hippie 03 is not your typical sneaker. It truly has an out of this world look, made with all sorts of materials like visible string and plastic: it’s known as ‘trash transformed’. This silhouette was released for $180 a pair on July 3rd of 2020. These are high top shoes made of at least 45 percent recycled material. They feature blue Crater Foam Midsoles made of different types of foam and a knitted upper made of recycled polyester.
Nike Space Hippie 04
The Nike Space Hippie 04 is available in many colorways for women’s and men’s sizes. It’s by far the most popular silhouette of the four, and sold out quickly on the official site. At least 25 percent of the entire shoe is made of recycled material and it’s the most lightweight silhouette, as well as the one with the lowest carbon footprint. The upper is made of ‘Space Waste Yarn’ which is 75 percent recycled, and the Crater Foam midsole has a blend of foams for stability and style. It has a modified waffle outsole.
Space Hippie 04 Women’s Shoe
You don’t need to go a size and a half down when ordering your favorite shoes anymore. Nike now offers many of their new releases in women’s sizes and has employed many female designers to create shoes with women’s style preferences and fits in mind. The ‘Cactus Flower’ colorway features a light purple and pink upper with dark purple laces, a white stitched Nike Swoosh, a white midsole with purple and pink flakes, and a magenta pull tab. It dropped December 8th of 2020 for $130. The ‘Mystic Navy’ is a more solid colorway, with dark blue laces and a navy blue and white blend on the upper that slightly resembles denim. The midsole is white with navy flakes, and it’s got a sea blue heel tab.
The ‘Iron Grey’ has an upper knitted with a blend of greys, mainly dark and medium, plus dark grey laces and a stitched white ‘Swoosh’ logo. The midsole is white with colorful flakes, and the heel tab is dark grey. The ’04’ branding on the top of the tongue is a bright scarlet. Similar to the Iron Grey, the ‘Grey Volt’ has a grey upper, but black laces and a black heel tab with black 04 branding. The stitched Nike ‘Swoosh’ is highlighter yellow and the midsole is white with colorful flakes. It dropped for a retail price of $130 as well as the other Women’s Space Hippie 04’s. The Lemon Venom is a pink themed shoe with a dark pink upper and yellow Nike Swoosh, that features dark grey on the insides of the shoe and black laces. The ‘Summit White/Hyper Crimson’ is all grey, with lighter grey laces and a light grey midsole, market with a scarlet Nike Swoosh.
Space Hippie 04 Men’s Shoe
If you’re looking in the 04 silhouette, check out the classic Nike Space Hippie 04 Black. This low top shoe has a white midsole with colorful paint flakes, and a black Flyknit upper with a matching black heel tab and black laces. There is bright neon yellow-green stitching throughout the upper for a touch of color. The ‘Grey Volt’, which is also sold in women’s sizes, features a grey upper and neon yellow Nike Swoosh. For a more colorful men’s sneaker, check out the Summit White/Photon Dust which has a cream upper with matching cream laces and a cream heel tab. The stitched Nike Swoosh is multicolored to form a rainbow look that matches the branding on the heel tab. Lastly, the midsole is white with colorful paint flakes. There are some later released brighter colorways like the ‘Light Bone’, ‘Light Lemon Twist’, and ‘Oreo’ that are also worth looking into.
Space Hippie Sizing
First, make sure you know if your desired sneaker is offered in men’s or women’s sizes. If it’s in men’s and you are a women’s size, order 1 to 1.5 sizes up and vice versa for the opposite situation. Those who have wear tested the sneakers will say that they have a snug, comfortable fit if you order a half size down from your usual size. They are also rather narrow shoes that might be extra tight for those who have a wide fit. If you have wide feet, it’s suggested to just order your usual size. The need for a half size down is due to the Flyknit upper which will feel tight at first, but tends to loosen up to stretch to your foot as you wear it repeatedly. The upper is not padded and has a sock-like feel.
Where to Buy and Pricing
The original Space Hippies are all sold out on the Nike website, but don’t worry yet— they’re easy to find on sneaker marketplaces if you are looking on safe and verified sites. The 01 and 04 both sold for $130, while the 02 and 03 were released at $150 and $180 respectively. Now, you’ll find different prices depending on size, rarity, demand, color way, and condition.
StockX is a sneaker marketplace known as a ‘stock market for things’. On this Detroit based platform, the seller doesn’t determine the price— buyers do through demand, bidding, and previous sale prices. Only new shoes can be bought and sold on StockX. When you make a purchase here, the sneaker will first ship to one of the company’s verification facilities were it will be market with a green StockX tag to show that it is authenticated as a real pair. Then, it’ll ship to the buyer. Right now, for example, you’ll find the Space Hippie 04 Women’s Lemon Venom for an average price of $83 on the site.
GOAT is another trusted sneaker marketplace where you can find all the Nike Space Hippies you are looking for. GOAT is more versatile than StockX in the sense that you can buy and sell shoes in many different conditions, like new, used, new with defects (damaged box, missing lid etc.), and instant new. Instant new will be the most expensive as these are pre-verified brand new shoes in the complete box that are immediately shipped directly to the buyer upon purchase. All other shoes are first shipped to a verification center like StockX. You’ll find a Woman’s Nike Space Hippie 04 ‘Photon Dust’ for an average price of about one hundred dollars on the site currently.
Flight Club also has used shoes if you’re looking for them, but they may be hard to find on the site due to stock. Flight Club is also a verified site but do note that their prices tend to be higher than other options. Their shoes are authenticated as well, but there are no refunds or returns on orders. If you want to cancel an order, you’ll need to do it within 3 hours of placing it. Otherwise, Flight Club is very reliable and even has some brick and mortar retail stores in New York City, Miami, and Los Angeles. You’ll find the Nike Men’s Space Hippie 04 ‘Grey Volt’ for an average price of $100 on Flight Club.
Wherever you decide to buy, avoid third party sellers like Amazon and EBay. With the high price of sneakers and the popularity of the sneaker industry, there are fakes in circulation all over. A lack of real photos on places like Amazon can make it difficult to see what you’re getting. It’s also easy for sellers on these websites to overinflated the prices. However, you do have reviews and returns available, but be mindful of the risks.
Summary
Nike’s ‘Move to Zero’ initiative is more than just an idea or hope. The major sneaker company put their plans for the future for zero waste and zero carbon into action with the release of the Space Hippie. It’s a funky, ‘out of this world’ sneaker made with… trash. The Flyknit upper is made using ‘Space Waste Yarn’ created with recycled t shirts, bottles, and production scraps. The Crater Foam Midsole decorated with colorful paint flakes is made of many types of foam material. Some have crazy colors like bright scarlet and neon yellow, while others are available in neutral tones like Wolf Grey and black. The shoes are also affordable and easy to find on sneaker marketplaces like StockX, Goat, and Flight Club. There’s a current total of four silhouettes, the 01, 02, 03, and 04. No one has to miss out on these unique sneakers— it wouldn’t be a lie to say that the women’s Space Hippies arrive in even more variety and cool colorways than the men’s size sneakers. No matter if you pick from women’s or men’s or simply convert your size over, there’s a Space Hippie guaranteed to match your style.
