sacai x Nike sneakers at True to Sole!
The Sacai x Nike sneakers have always been a "little" different from the other hyped collabs in recent years: the unique and special "cut & paste" style of the Japanese designer is very strongly felt on them, and the unique "broken, yet together" overall effect.
At True to Sole, you can get many Sacai x Nike sneakers, and from our blog post you can learn not only about the sneakers, but also about Chitose Abe, the person behind the Sacai brand!
The Saca style
For more than 10 years, it was known only in the circles of the Japanese fashion elite, at that time it had not yet broken into the Western market. His "cut & paste" style, which is so characteristic of him, was already developed here and after the small-series women's clothes, he also started designing men's clothes. An interesting twist in the story is that she transformed her first women's clothes from men's clothes, yet communicating a strong feminine message with their unusual transformation. 
This particular "cut and paste style" is nothing more than taking apart and reconstructing pieces of clothing, combining textiles and materials and pieces that others would not think of. Take, for example, the combination of shirts and hoodies, which are rough at the same time, but still radiate a kind of elegant elegance - this is the Saca style!
The breakthrough
Sacai first appeared in 2009 at Paris Fashion Week. At first, Abe shared the new pieces mysteriously, in a small circle. The big catwalk in Paris had to wait until 2011, where the public immediately got hooked on the fresh and innovative collection.
The first Nike collab
The Nike x Saca collaboration began long before the "doubled" sneakers, namely with NikeLab in 2015, the bolder, more experimental sub-brand of the signature brand. 
The designer reinterpreted pieces from Nike's archives in his own futuristic style, and a two-tone Air Max 90 shoe offered a glimpse of what we can expect in terms of sneakers.
Nike x Sacai Looks:
sacai x Nike LDWaffle
The silhouette is "assembled" from the LDV and Waffle Racer models, the upper part of the retro running shoe style sneaker is a combination of mesh, leather and split leather. The "doubling" characteristic of Saca shoes can be seen here as well, the two in the form of check marks, tongues and laces. 
The first blue/red/yellow and yellow/green/orange colorways of this collab LDWaffle sneaker were released in May 2019, followed by the green/purple/yellow version in September. The "Nylon" series dropped in March 2020, in much more restrained black and white colors, with a different use of materials. And the latest generation of LDWaffle is the triple collabs made with the participation of Fragment, Clot and other big names, which dropped in August and September 2021.
sacai x Nike Vaporwaffle
Released in November 2020, the silhouette combines the iconic Nike Pegasus and the innovative Vaporfly models. The main features of the shoe, true to the previous Sacai collaborations, are the double sole, double lacing and double tick, and the name Waffle was given because of the four-layer, waffle-patterned sole that curves up at the back. The use of materials on this sneaker is also very diverse: mesh, split leather, painted leather. 
sacai x Nike Blazer Low
The designer treated both high and low models of the Nike Blazer. Back in May and October 2019, it released the high-leg modified version of the Nike Blazer, and in the spring of 2021, the low-leg Low version arrived in Classic Green and Magma Orange colors, which was followed by the brownish British Tan in August. 
Their stem height is obviously different, but there are many similarities in construction, use of materials and general overall effect: double side soles, double Nike tick, double tongue and double lacing, asymmetric lines, vintage overall effect. 
The soul of Saca: Chitosi Abe
The name of Japanese fashion designer Chitose Abe was relatively unknown to fans of sneaker and streetwear style for a relatively long time, even though he created the Sacai brand in 1999 (which comes from his maiden name). And her interest in clothes and fashion is even older than that: she loved working with materials and textiles as a child, and in her high school years she was known for her unique dressing style. 
There was no question that she would choose a career in fashion design after she graduated from Nagoya Fashion College and started working in the fashion industry, the first major milestone in her career was when she joined the Comme des Garcons team, where she gained a lot of experience.
Chitose got married and launched her own brand in 1999 after the birth of her daughter. In the world of mammoth fashion companies, he is almost considered a specialty, but he still owns 100% of Saca. Otherwise, he likes to stay in the background, and shares very little about himself and the functioning of the brand with the wider world.
The Saca story is based on Máté Iszak's post published on the sneakerbox.hu blog .