Air Max 360 2006

Trust it to Nike to come up with a product launch befitting a Harry Potter book launch. Midnight tonight will see hip Londoners whipped into a frenzy, after spending some hours in a queue, to part with USD159.99 for a pair of this foamless shoe. In case you did a double-take on the price, yes, the indicative price is USD159.99 which translates to slightly above RM600. If this price turns out to be true, then I think the price for a pair of running shoe has just turned ridiculous. I believe the chip and motor-embedded adidas-1 is still the most expensive at close to RM1,000.

Which shouldn't be a problem for the affluent and credit card toting hiphop crowd. But will they benefit from a foamless midsole (which cushioning properties are claimed to remain as new even after 500K), 12oz, a completely reflective upper, 1-piece dynamic inner sleeve, breathable mesh, and flex grooves that allow the feet to move naturally? Not likely, unless they embark on a mission of clubbing, grooving and breakdancing (is it still in?) marathon. In KL, Nike has started the hype a week back when they ran a teaser promo along the busy Bukit Bintang area displaying the history of the Air Max.

It's pretty obvious what these shoe companies are doing and while decent models are still being made, a huge percentage of production are still geared towards fashion. For a dose of hipness, visit the Nike Air Malaysia website.


Under wraps...for now