(Via Nike.)
Snakeskin boots are such a part of American culture they're in the verse of pretty much every Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash song ever written. True story. And now, snakeskin is making its way from boots to sneakers.
Why? Well, in the Chinese calendar, it's the Year of the Snake, and shoe companies are all-in. Nike is releasing snakeskin versions of its Air Max 1 and Dunk Sky Hi models, for the ladies. This follows adidas' Year of the Snake releases of its TMAC, D-Rose and Crazy Light models. We sense a trend afoot.
It's a good thing the shoe companies are putting their money on the snake this year; in coming years, we've got Horse, Sheep, Monkey and Rooster. In fact, there's not a decently marketable animal on the Chinese calendar until 2022 and the Tiger. These'll have to do till then.