NikeCraft Mars Yard '2.0' Tom Sachs | Size 10

“At NIKECraft, products are developed for athletes, not consumers,” explains Sachs. “Our athlete, Tommaso Rivellini, is a mechanical engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Among many other projects, Tommaso invented the airbags used on the 1997 and 2004 Mars rovers. Long gone are the days of wing tipped brogues, pocket protectors, and skinny ties. The rocket scientist uniform of today is faded jeans, a golf shirt, and sneakers. These shoes are built to support the bodies of the strongest minds in the aerospace industry.” 

Back in 2012, Nike and Tom Sachs released their collaborative NIKECraft capsule collection as part of Sachs’ SPACE PROGRAM 2.0: MARS art installation. The collection included a jacket, tote bag and trench coat, but most notably, the Mars Yard 1.0 sneakers. The upper is constructed primarily of Maple suede and Vectran fabric, the same material used on Mars Excursion Rover airbags. Other special features include outsoles from Nike’s special forces boot (SFB) and detailing from the Apollo Lunar Overshoes. By combining sustainability with durability, these shoes were designed to withstand the elements of every frontier. 

After five years of silence, Nike and Sachs announced the arrival of the NIKECraft Mars Yard 2.0, a more durable and upgraded version of the original. First launched in June 2017 at Tom Sachs’ Space Camp on Governors Island, participants were given the opportunity to purchase the shoes upon completion of the immersive obstacle course challenges. While the style of the shoe stayed largely the same – namely the color scheme of Maple suede with red detailing – there was a drastic material upgrade, based on a long-term trial of the original done by Sachs. The Vectran fabric of the Mars Yard 1.0 was replaced with a more breathable polyester warp-knit tricot mesh. The tongue and heel tabs were also secured to the upper with a stronger X box stitch, and the outsole was inverted for increased adaptability to urban conditions. Lastly, consumers were given the choice of cork or mesh insoles.