This summer, breaking will make its debut as an Olympic sport at Paris 2024. It’s a monumental achievement for a practice that has been beloved around the world since its inception in New York in the 1970s, and it seems poised to find a massive audience when it hits the global stage this July and August. Clearly, we’ve come a long way since Electric Boogaloo.
As breaking takes its place on this prestigious platform, Nike will be outfitting the American team with the all-new Nike Jam, a state-of-the-art performance model built with the needs of world-class breakdancers in mind. Available in two colorways—a clean black and a smooth tan—official images of the Jam have finally hit the web, about a month after the hotly-anticipated shoe was first previewed during the brand’s Olympic launch event in Paris.
The Nike Jam has been in development for over seven years, with on-the-ground research performed at the famed Nike Sports Research Lab in Beaverton, Oregon. The company invited pro breakers to demonstrate to Nike’s designers exactly how they like to move in their shoes, per Fast Company, and apparently even brought in a DJ to help set the appropriate mood. In film sessions, Nike analyzed the movement of the dancers and carefully measured the impact of their feet on the floor, looking for ways to maximize comfort and energy return. It resulted in a shoe that makes breakdancing as smooth and tactile as possible.
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The silhouette itself is low and compact, made of a combination of leather and knit mesh and built atop a sizable gum sole. The heel tab and lace lock are reminiscent of the Nike Metcon, which is built for high-intensity interval workouts that include jump rope, burpees, and box jumps, all somewhat similar in terms of the need for agility and speed. But Nike didn’t neglect the style factor, either: the Jam are handsome enough to be worn casually, with pleasing retro quality that nods to breaking’s roots in ‘70s and ’80s street culture.
If you’re looking to get in on the action, the Nike Jam will drop later this summer via Nike and the SNKRS app for $120.
