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Footwear fans are well aware that retro sneakers are seeing a major resurgence in 2023, so it’s only natural that Nike Blazer Mid shoes are making a comeback. Nike’s been at the forefront of sneaker trends all year, whether for their Barbiecore pink colorways, stylish platform sneakers, or leading fall’s silver shoe obsession. But, while it’s true that the Swoosh is always one step ahead, time has proved that their basketball classics never go out of style.
The heritage Nike Blazer style has been dominating digital style trends this year, as seen in its climbing TikTok search, with a viewership of over 423 million users. Nike’s caught on to the shoe’s demand by expanding their offerings with fresh metallic adornments, pastel Swooshes, playful patterns, and even an option to create your own custom colorway. The Blazer Mid style, in particular, is in the spotlight, as it’s emerged in new and exciting collaborations that unite athletes, internet personalities, designers, and musicians, including recent team-ups with skateboarders Mason Silva and Grant Taylor.
Over recent years, Nike Blazer shoes have remained an under-the-radar staple in streetwear and celebrity outfits. Trendsetters from Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, and Vittoria Ceretti have all donned the minimalist sneaker in their model-off-duty style, while other style figures like Anne Hathaway and Lala Kent have opted for bold iterations with leopard print Swooshes. We saw Wiz Khalifa style his white Blazers with an all-black ensemble and a leather jacket, and Tia Mowry wore her black colorway with a comfy loungewear set and a sharp blazer in 2023.
It’s no surprise that everyone’s catching on to the Blazer hype, considering its fashionable appeal and everyday comfort. Its leather upper gives the shoe a luxe finish, while the basketball shoe silhouette allows it to work as a casual statement. Out of the range of Nike’s hottest trending shoes, the Blazer is one of the most affordable options, and its variety of colors and styles make it supremely accessible for tapping into your personal style.
Ahead, we highlighted the best Nike Blazer shoe styles of 2023, from classic Mid Blazer silhouettes to new fashion-forward releases, like the Blazer Low Platforms, along with a timeline of the icon’s rich history and a breakdown of the different Blazer options available to shop at Nike.com.
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Shop the Best Nike Blazer Sneakers
Nike Blazer Mid Pro Club Sneakers
- Top Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.6/5 stars
Price upon publish date of this article: $115
Nike Blazer Mid Pro Club Sneakers
Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Vintage Sneakers
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Price upon publish date of this article: $105
Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Vintage Sneakers
Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Sneakers
- Top Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.6/5 stars
Price upon publish date of this article: $140
Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Sneakers
Nike SB Zoom Blazer Mid Sneakers
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Price upon publish date of this article: $120
Nike SB Zoom Blazer Mid Sneakers
Nike Blazer Low Platform Sneakers
- Top Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.6/5 stars
Price upon publish date of this article: $135
Nike Blazer Low Platform Sneakers
Nike Blazer Low ’77 Vintage Sneakers
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Price upon publish date of this article: $120
Nike Blazer Low ’77 Vintage Sneakers
Nike Blazer Low ’77 Jumbo Sneakers
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Price upon publish date of this article: $135
Nike Blazer Low ’77 Jumbo Sneakers
Nike Blazer Low ’77 Jumbo Sneakers
Nike SB Zoom Blazer Mid x Mason Silva Sneakers
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Price upon publish date of this article: $145
Nike SB Zoom Blazer Mid x Mason Silva Sneakers
The History of Nike Blazer Sneakers
The Blazer sneaker was created in 1973 as Nike’s first-ever basketball shoe. The footwear authority was just nine years old at the time, and had only recently adopted its iconic name and logo in 1971. The Beaverton brand created a plain white high-top sneaker that fronted a sweeping Swoosh and named the style the “Blazer” after its regional NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers. Loved for its aesthetic simplicity, the Nike Blazer was one of the most technologically advanced shoes for basketball at the time. It boasted high-quality grain leather uppers with a full polyfoam tongue, padded ankle collar, and sponge arch support, making it one of the most comfortable, durable, and stylish basketball shoes.
The 1970s were the early days of technical performance sneakers, and basketball players opted for shoes with rubber soles for sturdy support and traction. To get eyes on the model on the court, Nike tapped NBA basketball star George “The Ice Man” Gervin to debut the shoe. Known for his icy cool attitude on the court, the San Antonio Spurs legend brought the shoe into the spotlight, helping Nike forever solidify its relationship with basketball.
Nike used its marketing magic and came out with what today’s sneaker fans would consider a “player exclusive model” (aka “PE”) for Gervin. Although PE models are common these days between top athletes and brands, the category was virtually nonexistent in the 1970s. The custom shoe had the words “Iceman” instead of “Nike” across the heel of the high top sneaker, a nod to the baller’s nickname. Although the shoe was never made available to the public, the Iceman PE, or Gervin Blazer, was just the beginning for Nike and the 50-year-old silhouette.
The Swoosh brand continued to evolve its original basketball sneaker, developing it with fresh Air renditions and innovative sneaker technology. In the 1990s, basketball players began to wean off hard vulcanized rubber-soled sneakers, but another group of athletes soon picked up the shoe, giving the Blazer a second life.
Skateboarders gravitated toward the Blazer because of its streamlined silhouette and durable build. In the mid-2000s, the Nike Blazer was among the most popular models for skaters, due to its vulcanized rubber sole, traction grid that stuck to their boards, and its mudguard that provided a toe box that could hold its own against grip tape. The heavy suede and leather uppers also could withstand the wear and tear of skating.
Over the years, Nike continued to expand on the Blazer with new iterations, whether in specially designed skate shoes, such as the SB Zoom Blazer, or retro lifestyle styles, like the Blazer Low Platform and Blazer Mid ’77 Vintage sneakers. After five decades, the heritage Nike model continues to be embraced by athletes and sneakerheads alike, and has remained at the forefront of fashionable footwear, thanks to slam-dunk collaborations with cutting-edge labels such as Supreme, Off-White, Comme des Garçons, and Sacai.
The Different Types of Nike Blazer Shoes
- Nike Blazer Mid ‘77 Shoes: The ’77 style is the Blazer’s heritage model. Each of its design elements call back to its native decade of the ’70s, including autoclave construction, non-marking rubber outsoles, durable leather uppers, and exposed foam tongues. It’s available in additional Vintage styles, which feature retro treatments on the midsole, as well as the Blazer’s signature Low and Mid silhouettes in a wide variety of contrasted Swoosh colorways.
- Nike Blazer Mid Pro Club Shoes: The Nike Blazer Mid Pro Club model evokes a reconstructed design of the classic shoe. Inspired by a Nike racquetball prototype from 1978, a rubber panel extends from the midsole to the Swoosh and marries with crisp patchwork along the leather upper. It maintains the Blazer’s mid-top collar and original laces, while inviting a retro attitude to the cult-favorite sneaker.
- Nike SB Zoom Blazer Mid Skate Shoes: The SB Zoom Blazer has been beloved by skaters since 2005, though it also stands as a stylish streetwear statement today. It’s best known for its grippy rubber traction that provides supreme stability, along with ultra-durable suede and leather uppers. The shoe is also equipped with responsive Zoom Air cushioning, flexible soles, and a foam sockliner to prevent rubbing and irritation during performance. It comes in a range of collar heights, including Mid, Low, and GT.
- Nike Blazer Low Platform Sneaker: This modern iteration of the Nike Blazer gives a fashion-forward flair to the hoops icon. The Nike Blazer Low Platform sneaker sports the shoe’s staples, such as a padded collar in a low-cut, exposed tongues, vulcanized construction, and herringbone traction soles. It features a unique, lifted midsole with double-tape adornments for a vintage flair.
- Nike Blazer Collabs: Over the years, the original Nike Blazer basketball shoe transcended multiple markets, from skateboarding to luxury footwear. Nike first collaborated with Mountain on the launch of the SB Blazer in 2005, and shortly thereafter teamed up with Supreme in 2006 to release quilted and snakeskin styles with Gucci-inspired gold D-rings. Comme des Garçons joined forces with the Swoosh in 2013 to create the Nike Blazer Low Premium, which featured suede uppers, waxed laces, and leather Swooshes. In 2016, Supreme teamed up with Nike for another rendition of the SB Blazer in GT Low styles, and Virgil Abloh’s Off-White took the Blazer sneakers for a spin in 2017 with enlarged Swooshes and signature Off-White branding, along with re-worked uppers and heel cups. The following year, the skater brand Stüssy adopted the SB Blazer with spray-painted leopard uppers on the Mid model. In 2023, career skateboarders took the reins. Mason Silva gave the Nike SB Blazer Mid a makeover with a silver Swoosh, while Grant Taylor created a muscle car-inspired colorway for the same model.
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Meet the Authors
Madeleine Crenshaw is the editorial assistant at FN. She assists the editorial director Michael Atmore and staff. Additionally, she contributes to FootwearNews.com, covering trending topics in fashion and footwear. She is a proud alumnus of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at the New School. Before joining FN, she interned at Gothamist and Topic Magazine, covering stories throughout New York City and beyond.
Olivia Cigliano is a Commerce Writer & Producer at Footwear News and WWD where she writes shopping content on the best-rated footwear, TikTok style trends, and more. Olivia received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Emerson College, and her byline can be found in publications including Elite Daily and CR Fashion Book. In her free time, Olivia can be found scouring Nike for trendy sneakers to add to her ever-growing collection from the Swoosh.
