While the world of heritage football is often left in the past, Nike have embraced it at full throttle pace, with breathtaking style. Taking the Mercurial Superfly and washing it with twelve different boots from its past, they have created something that shines.
Disrupting proceedings with unrivalled tones, the 'What the Mercurial' is a trump card of glory. Embracing the ever-changing nature of the Mercurial that has royally upended aesthetic thinking as well tailored expectations, this mash up is tasteful yet tenacious. A nod to the boot’s rich style as well as heritage, it takes slices from 16 of the most memorable Mercurial colorways on one design defying shoe.
Going further in telling a story, the boot also extends the narrative of Nike’s coveted “What the” design themes. Crossing into football, it's a marker for the state of cool the game is in. Back in 2007, Nike Skateboarding produced the brand’s first iconic colorway mashup, the Nike SB “What the Dunk” shoe. Then Nike Basketball elevated the concept, celebrating memorable signature basketball shoes beginning with the “What The Kobe” in 2012. Extending this towards the pitch with football, it's a marker of might.
As Nike put it quite beautifully, with this boot they have 'crafted a capsule of Mercurial history'. Four past Mercurial logos are mashed up to create the logo on the heel tab and aglets. The left and right boots boast the same design, striped with iconic Mercurial colorways, while the sockliner showcases iconic Mercurial elements. In total, 18 colours from previous Mercurial iterations meld together into one Superfly boot — the most colours Nike has ever used in a football boot.
Only right that the “What the Mercurial” comes in a “What the Box,” the retrospective colour mashup lines proceedings and is aided by “What the Bag” which is designed with the combination of four logo fonts on the front and a timeline of iconic Mercurial boots on the back. A feast on the eyes as well as the mind. No simple trip down memory lane, this see's Nike embrace a swell of creative thinking in football and gives many a fan what they want. Sheer beauty.
3,000 “What the Mercurial" boots will be available beginning May 5.
