A Nike Air Max 95 shoe without any of the Air Max bubbles. It sounds wrong, I know, but that is essentially what the Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite x Air Max 95 SE is.

A top-of-the-line Nike football boot (or soccer cleat, for American readers) made in the image of Nike’s signature Air Max 95, the football boot trades a bouncy Air Max sole unit for a series of sharp studs designed to dig into soft ground. 

But Nike didn’t stop there. As if the very concept of this bizarre footwear hybrid wasn’t already statement-making enough, it covered the shoe in a shimmering silver colorway.

The AM95’s typical trio of wavey side panels is offered in both a scaly texture and with a glitter effect. Move to the bottom of the shoe, and the kaleidoscopic silvery sole takes the color theme to a new extreme.

The Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite x Air Max 95 SE was officially unveiled earlier this year in the classic grey and neon green AM95 colorway. Now it’s moving beyond the OG colorways. 

This shiny Air Max boot has been made in celebration of the Air Max 95’s 35th anniversary, and is dropping later this summer on Nike’s website for $320. That’s $50 more than a regular pair of Mercurial Vapor 16 Elites, but you’re getting a rare Air Max collectors' item in return. 

From becoming one part of an unconventional Canadian tuxedo to unexpectedly transforming into a skate shoe, the Air Max 95’s birthday celebrations have seen it undergo some surprising stylistic overhauls. And the year is far from over. 

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