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The Nike Air Kukini is the product of the Nike Alpha Project, an innovative design division of the Swoosh that was active from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. This successful project gave many of Nike’s modern-day mainstays, including Air Presto and the famous basketball models, notably Hyperflight and Nike Flightposite.
The Nike Air Kukini has perfectly carried out the Nike Alpha Project's mission to develop cutting-edge, technical products for today's modern athletes.
The thin flexible cage construction of Sean McDowell's Air Kukini was guided by the insignia on the Spyder racing suit that Olympic skier Picabo Street sported throughout the 1998 Games. For those who don’t know, Sean McDowell is also the brains behind the Air Max Plus design.
The model has been a favorite among sneakerheads ever since it was introduced. Nike releases numerous new Air Kukini colorways and styles every year. The top four hues of the model that delighted admirers of the silhouette this year are mentioned below. To view the release dates, prices, and other information, scroll down.
Four popular Nike Air Kukini colorways that arrived in 2022
1) Nike Air Kukini SE Lemon Venom and Aurora
The special edition of Nike Air Kukini, dubbed Lemon Venom and Aurora, recently debuted on September 28, 2022. With a fixed price of $140, these units are easily purchasable from the online locations of Nike’s SNKRS app and from a few select sellers.
The description of this Lemon Venom and Aurora colorway on the brand’s website says:
“Casual meets technical with the Air Kukini. Inspired by its connection to triathlons, its stretchy neoprene-like fabric gets updated with a gradient color design that symbolizes the movement between water and land.”
Instead of conventional shoelaces, the Lemon Venom Aurora Green Nike Air Kukini includes a flexible foot web. The rear heel of the shoe is also wrapped in the translucent web, which further encircles the complete uppers of the foot plus extends out from the bottom of the midsole. Bright yellow leads to the gradient upper at the toe, changing to green and afterwards to blue as you progress towards the rear of the footwear.
The premium black leather is also employed for the toe top, tongue pull tab, heel section, and heel pull tab. The eponymous Lemon Venom Nike Swooshes sits on the backside of the shiny black torsion plate and inside the diamond-shaped window made by the tongue pull button. Lastly, the Max Air unit sports an identical lemon venom hue.
2) Nike Air Kukini SE Summit White and Aviator Grey
Interested buyers can also look for the Summit White and Aviator Grey colorway of the silhouette, which is scheduled for September 30, 2022, at 7.30 pm. For $140 per pair, these shoes can be bought from the SNKRS app and some other authorized retail merchants.
Finally capping off Swoosh's September release is the Summit White/Aviator Grey variation, which first appeared sometime in March of this year. This much-anticipated sneaker has futuristic TPU cages that were designed after winter tech brand Spyder. The Mystic Navy uppers, decorated with psychedelic designs, are enclosed in this cage structure, which offers a translucent appearance.
Accents of Summit White encompass the toppings over the toe tips and heels and sit next to them. Bottom underneath, the midsoles are clothed in white and come constructed with a visible Air unit that’s flanked by additional Mystic Navy embellishments.
3) Nike Air Kukini SE Kumquat and Action Red
Loaded with leopard prints all over, the exclusive Kumquat and Action Red variant of the silhouette was released on September 20, 2022. These pairs come with a $140 price tag and are being sold by the e-commerce stores of Nike and its affiliated sellers.
Nike described this animal-print Kumquat rendition as:
“Opposites do attract. Casual, technical, and with the perfect amount of wild, the Air Kukini delivers untamed style. Stretchy neoprene-like fabric gets classy with an all-over leopard print pattern.”
The footwear has a mesh and neoprene top with leopard print all over it. It is laceless and has TPU elements to support the lock in your foot. The bold black nubuck toppings can be seen on the toe tops and heel counters. Additionally, minimal Nike branding accents are used all over.
The Nike Alpha Project logo can be noticed on the heel. Finalizing the aesthetic is a black outer sole unit banded together with a white midsole. An Air Max unit is also incorporated in the heel.
4) Nike Air Kukini Game
The Game iteration of Air Kukini debuted earlier this year. With a price tag of $140, these shoes were launched on July 27, 2022. If you wish to get your hands on them, check out the online locations of Nike and its partnering retail vendors.
These stylish footwear designs are currently available for purchase from the Nike’s SNKRS app in both men’s and women’s sizes. You can even check them online from a few other partnering retail chains.
The description of the Game colorway on the shoe label’s website says:
“It's game time: you ready? Bridging casual and technical for over 20 years, this edition of the Air Kukini levels up with retro, video game-inspired graphics.”
This Nike Air Kukini, also known as the Game edition, is offered in a multicolored variation, with white, off-black, and glow. The entire upper is covered in a variegated, pixelated, 3D-like design.
Off Noir accentuated the leather patches while giving the interior and midsole a worn, yellowish look. The adjustable foot web seems to have a cloudy translucent look, with the Alpha Project five pixels featuring significantly around the heel.
The Nike Alpha Project's "Enquire, Research, Create, Test, and Compete" approach is represented by these five dots.
Apart from the aforementioned colorways, more variants, namely Triple Black and Black Neon, also surfaced in the previous months. These styles are expected to arrive later this year. You can sign up to the Swoosh label’s website to stay updated on the upcoming releases.
