NikeLab Air Zoom Chalapuka – A First Look

The NIKELAB AIR ZOOM CHALAPUKA brings back the overlooked Air Chapuka from the Alpha Project days and updates the design with a Talaria sole unit.

The Air Chapuka was one of several groundbreaking shoes that fell within the Alpha Project category back in 2000 and 2001. Perhaps one of the most creative eras of shoe design, the Alpha Project featured a whole host of models that pushed the boundaries of technology and style, resulting in some classic models. The Chapuka sat alongside more notorious counterparts, such as the Seismic and the Kukini, perhaps fitting in slightly better amongst ACG designs of the time. The bizarre mucus-like plastic webbing on the medial and lateral sides held the foot without restricting movement, whilst the uppers and toe piece mirrored the Presto for a lightweight and well-ventilated construction.

From what we’ve seen of this new hybrid design, the sole unit has been swapped for TALARIA tooling, which suits the Chapuka well, and the plastic side webbing has been switched for more lifestyle-friendly leather or suede sections. The foot-hugging neoprene has been exchanged for what looks like ballistic nylon, which looks good and should prove durable. From what we’ve seen in these initial pictures (shot at New York Fashion Week), it looks like there will be a number of different colourways coming our way.

The NIKELAB AIR ZOOM CHALAPUKA is due to reach the shelves this summer: keep checking back with us for the latest info on this intriguing hybrid release. If this has whetted your appetite for some technical retro goodness, then you can check out the Talaria and several other releases at NIKELAB by clicking the banner below.

Source: HIGHSNOBIETY.