If any pair in my collection has ever sparked a reaction, it’s this one. By far the most comments I’ve ever received about a sneaker on my feet. I knew what I was in for — more than half thought it was brilliant, while a small minority practically called the fashion police.
The Ruohan Wang × Air Max 90 Flyleather from 2020 isn’t a sneaker; it’s a painting that happens to have a sole. Designed by young designer Ruohan Wang and built on Flyleather — Nike’s material made from recycled leather fibers — it centers on the theme of the natural cycle. It even says so literally: 自然循环, in Chinese characters along the side.
And then there’s everything else. A light blue Swoosh, a pink scratch, cartoon-like prints of little characters and a snail, purple and camo panels, a yellow heel piece, and a bright neon-green Air sole with orange bubbles peeking through. Everything at once. It’s busy, it’s bold, and it’s exactly the kind of shoe you can’t help but have an opinion about. When I bought it back then, I also thought it had a bit in common with the Ben & Jerry’s x Nike Dunk Low SB “Chunky Dunky”. Daring. Different.
I love it precisely because it dares to be different. In an era when everyone keeps talking about “clean” and “tone-on-tone,” this is a shoe happily running in the opposite direction. Do I wear it often? No. Am I glad it’s in my collection? Every time I open the box. Some pairs you buy to wear; I bought this one to feel something.
The fact that the community reacted so strongly says it all: this is a shoe you don’t forget. And in a collection full of safe choices, that might just be the greatest compliment of all.
You rarely see a pair this bold anymore. Check Solezilla to see which shops still have it and what the market thinks of it now.