The Foamposite. Currently called a dying shoe, but who cares? Its one of the classics. Debuted in 1997, the foamposite material is still used to this day and was considered revolutionary in its time. You know the colorways, the pro vs regular, premium vs standard, but what is it really like to wear a foam? Lets dive in.

The foamposite is constructed out of three main parts – but lets just focus on the main: the foam. According to dtlr.com “The “foam” material starts off as a liquid that needs to be boiled at a temperature between 130- 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Once in place (in the mold), the liquid is cooled and solidified.” This is what creates the main part of the shoe, and where the name comes from. Foamposites or “Foams” are one of the most popular shoes to this date, and the main reason for that is the versatility. I talked to people on reddit and Instagram who have owned foams, some one pair, some 20 pairs, and everywhere in between. This is what they said:

“Foams make up the biggest part of my collection and have been my favorite shoe for a number of years. [Though] they may not be the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn, and finding the perfect way way to lace them can be difficult they are an iconic shoe. The solid silhouette the Foamposite One cast makes it my favorite of the foams.” – Andrew Greenlee (@AirKickness) “I love foams because of the different colors and unique look. Just walking by a window and seeing my reflection makes me feel amazing.” – Reddit User Kirn_Jong-Un “They’re harder than your normal shoe. Feel almost like wearing [Timberland boots]. They’re very stable but I wouldn’t ever play basketball in them.” – Reddit User Xelerator

So let me get this straight, the foam is a shoe that is uncomfortable, hard to lace, has some horrendous colorways, but it is considered a classic?

Could the foam be a classic because of… music? They’re featured in countless songs, frequently by Wale:

“The Bentley is rented but I got many chauffers

Foamposites if you ain’t got em then you penny-loafing!” – Double M Genius

Another part of the MMG family, Rick Ross loves to talk shoes:

“My Jordans high-top, snapback fitted cap

The Rolls-Royce, it’s all white

Foamposites, the LeBrons, I’m fuckin’ wit’ the Spikes” – Fitted Cap

Plenty of other songs reference foams, as they seem to be one of the most popular shoes in the “rap game”. Although this obviously isn’t the reason why these are a classic, this could be what has been making the foam stick around for what might be longer than they were invited to.

Although some people are starting to stray away from foams because of their new colorways (*cough* safari *cough* concord *cough*) and because of their price, usually starting at $230, it is a pretty penny to pay. It seems that Nike is trying to send people away. This might seem ludicrous to say but think about it this way: They haven’t retroed a foam in a long, long time. It seems that today retros are the biggest deal. They keep raising the price without raising the quality; will 2015 change this?

Personally, I think Nike needs to start making moves to save the foam, because right now they’re on the decline. Its a shoe I would hate to see go away, but maybe it needs to. It was the classic colorways that made this shoe a classic. Royals. Dr. Dooms. Eggplants. Pearls. Hell, almost all the solid colored foams are incredible, but when you get to Weathermans and Thermals, it just makes it a hard sight to see. Nike is getting creative with the black suede and wheats, but when you sandwich the $%@&!*# pink elephant print foams in between, it makes you wonder. This doesn’t mean that every new colorway is bad, Nike has had a ton of success with new colorways such as “Oregon Ducks”, “Doernbecher”, “Supreme”, “Fighter Jet”, and “Shooting Star Pack”, but this is because these new colorways are simplistic or have a collaboration with another brand that has a strong fan base (Supreme & Doernbecher).

We should probably talk about the Galaxy colorway. As much as I don’t want to, I will. Here’s the deal, on February 24th, 2012, the Galaxy Foamposite One dropped during the all star break along with the other infamous galaxy shoes. Up until then, EVERY SINGLE foamposite was a solid color, or two toned shoe. There were absolutely no patterns on the main foamposite part of the shoe unless they were customs. Since then, 13 of the 19 new foamposites have featured a pattern of some sort. Many people say that the Galaxy colorway killed the foamposite (some people call it the galaxy effect).

Another thing to be noted, a few short months ago there were rumors of Foamposites (not specifically one or pro) coming to NikeID, but the rumor dissipated quickly when the surprise that Nike released was the Gumbo ID options over the all star break in 2014. I personally think that foams on NikeID would be sweet, but that seemed to be an unpopular opinion.

So what is it really like to wear a foam? You might be wearing a classic that people will respect, or maybe a shoe that will get you laughed out of a gym; if you even wear them to the gym. They’re not super comfortable, but they are definitely not too uncomfortable to rock on the regular. Some Foams will turn heads and break necks, but the possibility of seeing multiple people rocking the same shoe as you in the same day is quite possible also. The Foam is a unique shoe that will stay around and people will always know about, no matter the direction that the colorways take.

I hope you enjoyed this post, it being my first post well, ever. Please tell me about this piece (Love, hate, death, concerns, comments, shoes) in the comments and how I can make it any better.

Interested in writing on this site? Comment your email and I will contact you!