Style
Nike and Tom Sachs’s General Purpose Shoe is boring — and that’s the point
The follow-up to the smash hit Mars Yard 2.0 may not be what you expect.
Nike and Tom Sachs are ready to reveal their most boring sneaker yet — and it already has everyone on the edge of their seats. The sportswear giant and the New York City-based artist have teamed up on the General Purpose Shoe, or GPS, a brand-new silhouette that’s intentionally underwhelming.
The sneaker, which pales in comparison to other extravagant NikeCraft-Sachs creations, puts an emphasis on getting use out of your sneakers instead of letting them collect dust. As the name suggests, it’s meant to work for every possible scenario (athletic or otherwise), pushing a reminder that it’s not what you do, but how you do it.
Simplicity is key — As previously predicted, the “do-everything shoe” appears in shades of light beige, tan, and royal blue. Nike points out that the shoes “get more beautiful with wear,” an incentive for the owner to get as much use out of the kicks as they can. An upturned toe gives the upper a distinct shape, while other elements of its construction — such as the three-piece molded cup sole, elongated donning straps, microfiber collar, and breathable knit upper — offer an added boost of support and comfort.
Sachs opted for a breathable but snug upper that also provides protection against the elements. According to the artist himself, it took a decade to make the General Purpose Shoe “as simple as can be and no simpler.”
Designed for wear — NikeCraft and Tom Sachs have been showier with their collaborations in the past, complete with outlandish NASA-approved kicks and deployable fanny packs. The Mars Yard 2.0 released in 2017 is one of the most coveted sneakers of all time, with listings on the resale market as high as $20,000. A 2.5 version of the sneaker was beta-tested in 2020 but has yet to see a public release.
A price tag of $110 will be accessible at the start, but there’s no telling how high resale prices might be. How much stock is made available will make the difference, and only time will tell how easy the GPS will be to acquire. Men’s and women’s sizing is set to release on June 10 through the NikeCraft website, and Nike has confirmed more color variants will eventually follow.
