SoleGRIND
| 👟 Sneaker Release Info | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Nike |
| Model | Nike Blazer |
| Colorway | Black, Blue, Yellow |
| Style Code | BV0072-001 |
| Available At | adidas Confirmed |
When Sacai designer Chitose Abe teamed up with NikeLab for a collaboration in 2018, nobody knew it would become one of the most influential sneaker partnerships of the decade. The collection first appeared on the Sacai runway during Paris Fashion Week in June 2018, and by December, Nike confirmed the release date for February 2019. The sneaker world lost its collective mind.
The collaboration featured two distinct silhouettes, both built on Abe’s signature deconstruction philosophy. The first was the Sacai x Nike Blazer Mid, a shoe that takes the classic 1970s basketball silhouette and literally doubles everything. Double laces. Double tongues. Double Swooshes. Double padded collars. The mudguard wraps up and around in layers that make the shoe look like two Blazers stacked on top of each other.
The Blazer Mid released in two colorways. The first (BV0072-001) came in a black and University Blue scheme with cream accents. The second (BV0072-700) went with a yellow and black palette. Both share the same exaggerated midsole that looks melted and stacked, like the sole itself is peeling apart from the shoe. That sole treatment is pure Sacai. It takes a familiar element and makes you question what you are looking at.
The second silhouette was even more ambitious. The Sacai x Nike LDV Waffle (BV0073-300) mashes together two vintage Nike running shoes, the LDV and the Waffle Daybreak. Abe took elements from both and layered them into a single hybrid shoe. The upper combines mesh and suede panels. The Swoosh appears twice, offset in different colors. The tongue is doubled. And the outsole features an exaggerated stacked waffle sole that looks like two running shoes fused at the base.
This was not the first time Sacai and Nike worked together. They linked up back in 2015 for a women’s capsule collection that included shoes and apparel. But the 2018 collaboration was different. It was bigger. It was bolder. And it was going to get a wider release through NikeLab channels, which meant more people would actually have a shot at buying them.
The release date announcement in December 2018 set the sneaker community on fire. Images had been surfacing for months thanks to Instagram accounts like @hanzuying, who posted detailed looks at both colorways of the Blazer. The LDV Waffle images came later but hit even harder. The layered Swoosh design became instantly recognizable. You could spot a Sacai Nike from across the street.
What makes Abe’s approach special is that the deconstruction is not random. Every doubled element serves a purpose. The double laces create a more complex lacing system. The double tongue adds padding and structure. The layered Swoosh creates depth and visual interest. The stacked sole adds height and cushioning. These are wearable shoes, not just art pieces. That balance between concept and function is what separated this collaboration from countless other fashion brand sneaker collabs that look cool but feel unwearable.
The February 2019 release through NikeLab and select retailers was just the beginning. The Sacai x Nike partnership would go on to become one of the most sought after collaborations in sneaker history, with new colorways and silhouettes dropping for years after. But this first wave, the Blazer Mid and the LDV Waffle, is where it all started. These are the shoes that put Sacai on the sneaker map and changed what a Nike collaboration could look like.
