WACKY LACES - WORLD'S CRAZIEST SNEAKERS!

SIDE LACING
1995

In terms of functionality, side-lacing has no real
advantages, but it did create an enduring reputation
as an iconoclast for the Nike Footscape in 1995.
The clean area at the top of the foot gave the shoe
a misleading clumpy shape from the wearer’s
perspective looking down, but viewed from the side,
the Footscape was one of the most elegant and
slender running models. Inspired, Nike then applied
the same logic to the Air Shake Ndestrukt, flipping
the laces to the inside of the shoe for the maverick
cross-dressing badboy known as Dennis Rodman.

Though the Footscape is often credited by Nike-heads
as the first side-lacing sneaker, it’s simply not true.
Here’s a Converse runner called the Odessa from 1985
that clearly shows how far ahead of the game they were.
Recently we also discovered the Gel Mai, a super-rare
beauty from Hiroshi Fujiwara’s personal collection.
Thanks to Sneaker Tokyo, we have a photo!