Getting to work on the Penny II once is a gift. Getting to mess with it a second time in just four years is the kind of thing you do not quite believe is happening while it is happening. That is the energy behind this version, a return to one of the greatest Nike designs of all time with a little more confidence the second time around.
The approach was to honor what the shoe already was. Play up the Atlantic Blue that Pennys became known for, keep the classic block intact, and then sweat the finishes. The 3M piping on these really shines, the kind of detail that disappears in daylight and then lights up the second a camera flash or a streetlight hits it. And the brushed copper 1 Cent logo jewel sitting on the tongue was probably the best copper execution in the entire pack. Little metal details like that are where a collab either earns its keep or falls flat, and this one earned it.
The validation that matters most, though, did not come from the community or the resale charts. It came from Penny himself. He loved them and thought they came out crazy, in the good way. A co sign from the man whose name and logo are on the shoe never hurts. Actually it does more than not hurt. It closes the loop. You set out to honor a player’s signature and the player tells you that you nailed it.
The Penny II is one of those silhouettes that rewards restraint. It is already nearly perfect, so the job is not to reinvent it but to dress it in a way that respects the block and adds a few touches worth leaning in to look at. The 3M, the copper jewel, the Atlantic Blue done right.
If Penny calling them crazy is the ceiling, this pair got there.Array
Where does the Penny II rank in your all time Nike list, and which colorway of it would you never let go?Array
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Photos by Nick DePaula
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