Nike’s Breakdancing Shoe, The Nike Jam, Emerges In Two New Colorways

One of the surprise announcements from Nike’s Paris showcase was the Nike Jam, the footwear industry’s first attempt at a dedicated breakdancing sneaker. The timing was understandable- 2024’s games will see the street-level sport make its official Olympic debut. Now, a new batch of Nike Jam colorways gives the public their first crack at the silhouette and this summer’s athletes a fresh set of options for their inaugural international competition.

Though not official given names just yet, it’s easy to see the conceptual ties between these two editions. The Nike Jam already expresses a “flipped” motif in its construction, sporting two opposing side Swooshes, the lower one correctly oriented when athletes go heels-over-head. Either shoe approaches earthy palettes in inverse directions, the pair in “Dark Driftwood” painting most of its upper in natural tonality while using midnight as a contrast hue. In flipping that equation, the other veers towards Nike SB territory with a classic black & gum layout.

Stepping back to the composition of this shoe, this official image suite allows some of the more unorthodox hardware to become plain. Raised dots on the midsole let the wearer tell where exactly they’re grabbing their foot, helpful in a sport where origami-like bends and whirlwind moves remove visibility entirely. Additionally, the barely curved sole unit makes slides and ankle bends easier, movements unique to breaking that’d be hindered by the tech-forward traction found elsewhere in the Swoosh catalog (credit to Fast Company for their breakdown).

August 9th & 10th is the official start of breaking at the Olympics, likely the first public showcase of how the Nike Jam performs. As for the public, release details are still very scant, but these official images in and of themselves hint towards a debut in around the opening ceremony.

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