Nike's Astronaut-Inspired Slip On

Nike's Astronaut-Inspired Slip On

Nike's Astronaut-Inspired Slip On

Neil Armstrong. Yuri Gagarin. Buzz Aldrin. All spacefaring men you'd have thought Nike would have turned to when designing a interstellar slip on shoe. You'll probably share in our surprise upon hearing that the reissued Zvezdochka is modelled not on a small-stepping human, but on a Russian canine. But you can't say the dog didn't inspire style. 

First created in 2004 by award-winning designer Marc Newson, the Nike Zvezdochka owes its name to a dog named by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Translated as "Starlet", the brave pooch survive an orbital trip on board Korabl-Sputnik 5 in 1961 - without shoes. While Newson's design is based on the footwear of the Russian Space Institute, we figure he just liked the sound of Zvezdochka.

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Constructed with a two-layer modular design, the outer shell of the shoe is a flexible, cushioned cage. A breathable mesh "bootie" sits inside the cage unit, gripping the foot without making things sweaty. A Zoom sole unite and rubber grip rounds off the durable, futuristic shoe. 

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Marc Chacksfield
Editor at Large

Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.