The noise at the Nike Mercurial 20th anniversary party is turned up a notch as the Swoosh drop a second "What The Mercurial?" design that celebrates the history of the iconic speed boot series.
Following on from the initial "What The Mercurial?" launch in 2016 the 2018 edition turns the lights off to draw you in closer. Whilst the first edition paid tribute to the aesthetic colourways of previous Mercurial designs, the new drop goes deeper by exploring the materials of Mercurial dating back to 1998.
Nike have delivered 20 years of speed by breaking, rebuilding, and breaking the mold again with game-changing colours, materials, and concepts – all created with one thought in mind – to make the player faster.
The new "What The Mercurial?" design wraps itself around the 2018 Mercurial Superfly 360, and it's the Flyknit base of this silhouette that allows Nike to create the WTM concept. Though simple in its monochromatic aesthetic, the "What The Mercurial?" advances the Mercurial silo’s lineage of progressive graphic application.
Here's how they made it... Concentrate, yeah? The Mercurial 360’s Flyknit yarns have the capacity to be molded into a variety of textures and shapes; This allowed designers to create a 2D graphic incorporating icons of the Mercurial lineage and translate it into a 3D element of the boot’s design. The 3D design was then created through a mold that heats and presses the design into the Mercurial 360 knit. This process allows for distinctive nods to past boots and celebration of iconic Mercurial elements without compromising touch. Got it? Good.
The 20th anniversary Nike "What the Mercurial?" comes packaged in a custom box complete with anniversary shoe bag. Just 1,998 pairs of the boots will be available. 20 pairs will release at NikeLab Milan on March 8, while the remaining pairs will launch on March 12.
Pick up the limited edition Nike "What The Mercurial?" Boots from prodirectsoccer.com on March 12.
