It’s 2004 and Nike is in the process of making a dream sneaker: an official Hello Kitty Nike Air Presto.
The collaboration was a special one, marking the 30th anniversary of Sanrio. And Nike was set to bring this about in a big way – marrying their iconic Nike Air Presto with Hello Kitty designs.
Their plan was to release four different styles, with 500 pairs of each, as reported by Complex.
As the story goes, while full designs were created and plans with Sanrio were made, the shoe never actually ever properly released.
In an interview with Highsnobiety, sneaker designer and the godfather of dad shoes, Steven Smith said he’s unsure why the numbers went from 500 of each style to just only 12 pairs, which were given out to friends and family of Sanrio and Nike.
Smith said, “I’m not sure why they became so limited. The original plan was for 500 of each style when the project was first presented to me.”
Speaking on why he was tapped to design the Hello Kitty Prestos, Smith spoke of his long-time adoration for the Japanese cat, something that’s not a secret to any of his fans.
He said, “Mark Parker [now Nike CEO, then co-president] knew how much I loved Japan and Sanrio. I would bring in my Hello Kitty waffle iron and make everyone Hello Kitty head waffles once or twice a year just for fun.”
“I brought my lunch every day in a Hello Kitty or Bad Badtz-Maru lunchbox. It just seemed natural that I should work on the special project for Hello Kitty’s anniversary.”
Steven Smith is a sneaker designer who has had one of the most storied careers in history. Beginning his career in 1986 at New Balance, he went on to create some of the most adored New Balance kicks still going around today.
Long story short, Smith is now Kanye West’s righthand Yeezy designer man.
