Nike Air Kukini “Leopard” is Landing Soon

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The turn of the century was one of the wildest times in Nike’s history, with the short-lived Alpha Project responsible for some of the most audacious footwear designs of the era. Designs like the Shox, Presto, and Kukini quickly became fan-favorites, with Y2K patterns, excessive use of teach and-or overlays, and dead-set different designs that challenge the status quo in the sneaker world. Now, after the first two silhouettes mentioned above saw recent retros, it’s finally time for the Nike Air Kukini to return, completing the iconic Alpha Project trifecta.

Designed by the man behind the Air Max Plus — Sean McDowell — the silhouette debuted back in 2000 and was actually created with legendary downhill skier Picabo Street in mind. She was sponsored by Spyder at the time which inspired the shape and design of its exterior cage. The shoe was later tested on triathlete Mark Allen, who considered himself “amphibious” for constantly being in and out of water; he proved to be a natural fit for the Kukini’s similar personality. This then lead to Nike aligning their shoe with sports and activities of the extreme, and resulted in a slew of equally-adventurous colorways, like this Nike Air Kukini “Leopard” set to hit shelves as part of the sneaker’s return to the market in 2022.

Though there’s no current release date penned for the pair, we are expecting Nike to announce details soon. Until then, grab an official look at this colorway here below, and, as always, keep your eyes glued to our official Twitter account for further updates