Nike SB Lunar One Shot
A lightweight, data-driven skate shoe designed to maximize board feel and minimize break in time
While some purists still dispute Nike‘s presence in skateboarding, there’s no denying their contribution to skate shoe design and development. The latest tech to reach the market lies within the Lunar One Shot, a new shoe announced today, 26 November. The Swoosh claims the sleek, slim shoe to be “the most data-informed, wear-tested, technology-packed competitive skate shoe on the market.” Uneasy feelings of a “competitive skate shoe” label aside, the design was reportedly looked over by tech wizards and SB teammates Sean Malto and Shane O’Neill, lending a heavy mark of legitimacy to the flashy sneaker. “Their feedback helped in a range of areas, from perfecting the fit to how the shoe performs while doing certain tricks,” explained senior footwear designer for Nike SB Shawn Carboy. “In Shane’s case we adjusted the width of the sole to have a better platform for nollie heel flips.”
Design-wise, the Lunar One Shot looks to have taken hints from some of the SB brand’s most successful and best looking shoes—ankle support that resembles that of the much-loved Janoski and a broad single piece toe-box that takes after the most recent Koston 2. Of course the Lunar One Shot upgrades all materials involved, including an entirely synthetic upper with innovative Hyperscreen traction layer applied directly to where metrics showed tester’s experienced the most to wear and tear.
Another, perhaps more notable, design detail is the mesh heel pocket; the external cut-out aims to improve flexibility in a portion of the the shoe prone to slippage. Or as Carboy puts it, “the anatomical shape of the counter derives from the boots in soccer and the cut out is for articulation, in which the shoe is allowed to move with the heel without losing the lockdown needed in the area.” Plus Lunarlon heel cushioning and midsole add that lightweight walking-on-air feeling that—thanks to Flyknit and Free—we’re all craving. While we have yet to test the Lunar One Shot, we’re confident Carboy knows what he’s doing. Expect to see the Lunar One Shot online directly from Nike SB 26 December.
Photos by Graham Hiemstra
