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Will Golf Kicks become the next radical fashion trend to hit golf in 2016? Nike seems to thinks so.
Those who missed out on the recent coverage of Michelle Wie wearing her upcoming line of Nike Blazer Kicks might want to stop and do a double take. No, seriously, they're golf shoes.
Michelle Wie surprised her fans at the 2015 Evian Masters by showing up in pink high top kicks with camouflage Nike swoosh. She followed that appearance up by debuting two other patriotic themed variat of the same Nike Blazer kicks the following week at the Solheim Cup. The "Air Wiezy" signature shoes were indeed designed for the golf course, and Michelle Wie has her imprint on it.
With Wie's input and feedback, the Nike Blazer golf shoes were designed to provide golf specific support and comfort while also showcasing a bit of Wie's personal style. They have already attracted much attention and are expected to be released for sale in 2016.
While the Nike Blazers may come as a surprise to many golfers (I mean, who wears high top kicks to play golf?!), this is actually not the first time we've seen kicks on the golf course. In 2014, Michael Jordan specially designed a pair of Jordan style golf shoes for Keagan Bradley. The shoes mimicked the footwear stylings of MJ himself during his years on the basketball court and was a direct collaboration between Michael Jordan as a golf fan and Keegan Bradley as a Jordan fan.
The bright red golf kicks that Jordan designed for Keegan Bradley made headlines when Keegan first brought them to the golf course. Unfortunately the "cool new Air Jordan golf shoes" that fans were dying to try on were reserved only for Keegan Bradley. A few modifications and renditions later, the Jordan Flight Runner Golf shoes were finally released for public sale in June 2015. The shoes were far from the signature style of the KB series that got everyone's attention though. Instead they resembled standard running shoes. However, KB and Jordan fans can now celebrate the recent release of the Air Jordan 6 Retro Golf Shoe, which has a throwback design to the original Air Jordan basketball sneakers similar to the KB series that set foot on the golf course a year ago.
It seems natural and timely that Michelle Wie, the 6 foot tall Nike sponsored LPGA golf star is following suit with her own line of high top golf kicks for women too. Now Wie gets to merge the street style she loves with the sport she loves, and in bold fashion.
How functional are Michelle Wie's signature Nike Blazers? According to Michelle Wie, who also recently came off of a golf related ankle injury, “The high top collar is so functional for me, providing the support I need through the impact of my swing.”
As for Wie's personal touch on the new "Air Wiezy" golf shoes for ladies, Michelle chose to replace her signature on the label with the scores from her first major win at the 2014 U.S. Women's Open, reading "68 68 72 70". That's code for inspiration to any female golfer.
Looking ahead to 2016, the high-top street smart golf kicks may become the way to go for young, athletic golfers who catch on to the trend. Nike will undoubtably have coordinated outfitting options available as well to complete the new "Air Wiezy" golf look by the time the shoes are released. As well as one of the best female athlete models that golf fashion has ever witnessed to help set the trend.