Martine Rose’s Distorted Nike Air Monarch Drops This Weekend_Stride into Fashions Embrace

As the quintessential “dad shoe” with an unassuming look, Nike’s so-uncool-it’s-ironically-cool Air Monarch IV is basically begging to be experimented with. And experiment with the Monarch Nike certainly has in recent months, releasing both premium “Campfire” and “Snow Day” iterations. It’s even served as a template for a brand-new lifestyle silhouette: the M2K Tekno. But for a shoe that’s found a stylish new home among quirky fashionistas it’s never really received a proper makeover — at least until now. Thanks to cheeky British designer Martine Rose, who refers to herself as “probably the best designer in the world” on her website, the Monarch has now received a trifecta of artfully disfigured makeovers: an airy patent leather “Medium Soft Pink,” a simple patent leather “Triple Black,” and a timeless leather “White/Midnight Navy,” an infamous OG Monarch colorway.

The shoe’s seemingly deformed shape — originally conceptualized by by putting size 18 tooling on top of a size 9 midsole — instantly catches your eye, with bulbous protrusions provided by PU inserts appearing on the toebox, midfoot, and heel for a look that’s as wild and whimsical as a Dali painting. Branding is kept to a minimum with barely visible tonal Swooshes on both the lateral and medial midfoot to ensure that all attention is focused on the shoe’s shape — with the exception of the white/navy pair, which opts for a traditional Swoosh embellishment — while Rose’s signature also makes an appearance on the lateral midfoot. The insoles feature further co-branding, and each shoe is rounded off by a standard, unchanged Monarch midsole. These ultra-unique lifestyle sneakers will release for $250, the highest MSRP for a Monarch ever, on January 12th. Check out official images of all three pairs below while you wait for the drop, and let us know which pair is your favorite.

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