Verdict from +100 user reviews
10 reasons to buy
- Several customers found the Nike Blazer Mid to be very durable.
- It was relatively lightweight, according to a handful of buyers.
- Many reviewers were impressed with the Nike Blazer Mid’s stylish design and sleek silhouette.
- It was a very comfortable shoe for numerous users.
- The traditional treading of the outsole employs a remarkable amount of traction, according to some purchasers.
- A couple of wearers even insisted that the Nike Blazer Mid breathes.
- It was a flexible shoe, as exclaimed by one user.
- As opposed to a few comments, the sneaker can be easily broken in as testified by some naysayers.
- Some customers loved it that the Nike Blazer Mid accurately embodies the old school Nikes that they cherished.
- A couple of commenters had it easy with the mid-top sneaker because it easily blends in with most of their clothing.
2 reasons not to buy
- An issue that disgruntles few customers was the creasing of the ankle portion of the sneaker.
- A couple of reviewers also noticed that the Nike Blazer Mid was hard to clean and an appalled user even mentions that it attracts a crazy amount of lint.
Bottom line
From the archives of the fundamental Nike basketball sneaker arises a mid-top that was relatively disregarded for ages. The Nike Blazer Mid surfaces the sneaker world in a tidal wave of colorway options and ground-shattering collaborations which would surely leave a mark in the fashion industry today.
While having the essential traits of comfort, durability, and flexibility, the mid-top sneaker can also easily replace one’s go-to footwear due to its highly volatile looks and versatile nature.
Good to know
As with the high top, the Nike Blazer Mid offers a vast number of lace holes reaching up to the shin for a more customizable fit in front of the foot. The ankle portion of the mid-top sneaker is adequately padded for comfort and ease.
Whatever the outfit is, it is imperative that the bottom of the trousers must not hinder the view of the Nike Blazer Mid’s quarter panel. The Swoosh is iconic enough to be hidden under the shadow of jeans and what not. With this in mind, skinny or slim fit pants would always do the trick, and couple that with a bunch of joggers or shorts.
The most famous men’s Nike Blazer Mid would be the Off-White™ version while most of the generally released mids that contain avant-garde concepts are ladies-exclusives. The women’s Nike Blazer Mid, on the other side of the spectrum, come in different colorways relating more to the feminine side of things.
Since the Off-White version of this cut was unveiled, the Nike Blazer Mid was introduced in all shapes and sizes. This platoon of design cues makes it difficult for one to determine which one is which even from the high tops. Looking closely, the High version has a slightly thicker sole than the mid one. Aside from that, all parts are basically the same. From the autoclaved midsole-outsole to the number of lace holes, both shoes are practically similar.
The Blazers under the Nike Skateboarding line-up usually have a toe cap protecting the ollie areas while the classic Nike Blazers have an unencumbered front.
Before sneakerheads and side-winding, board-surfing skaters dominated the footwear realm, the image of a flat-cut and the vulcanized sole was apparent regarding sports and athletic upheaval. It was the pinnacle outline for every fitness-bound tootsie there was since the dawn of the 20th century. It would only seem relevant that a skating shoe nowadays had pulled its roots from an autoclaved ancestor like the Nike Blazers.
But what are these so-called Blazers?
The Nike Blazer was the very first basketball shoe of the Oregon-located brand called Nike. Nike, being just a grade-schooler in the shoe industry at the time, already has a promising start which is accommodated by a chart-topping vision--to produce shoes that are on top of the list. To certify that they reach their goals, they have hired George “The Iceman” Gervin as the ambassador of the ground-shattering shoe.
The year was 1973, and The Iceman was on top of his game. Every sleek maneuver he did on court served as an unintentional advertisement for these Nike Blazer shoes. Soon after, fans began flocking into Nike retail stores desperate to cop a pair of those high tops. But as the traction for sneaker competition intensified in the 80s, the spark of the Blazer gradually diminished.
If there is one group of people for the Nike Blazer to thank for, it would be the skating community of the early to mid-80s. The Blazer’s vulcanized sole proved worthy of riding sanded boards due to its relatively responsive nature. Leather uppers stood wear and tear more hailing the Blazer a good run for the money.
Eventually, these ramp-hogging thrashers dragged their high cut Blazers to the streets while hanging out which caught the eyes of civilians that are passing by. That phenomenon marked the transfer of Nike Blazers from athletic nature to lifestyle.
Humanity, being the fickle-minded entity as they are, was not contented with the Blazer’s high top hence the stripping down of the Nike Blazer into lows and mid tops to conform to their routines and style. The original basketball shoe morphed into casual wear as the fashion timeline approached the zeitgeist when old is hip. Even Nike made it official and introduced the Blazer into their Nike Skateboarding line.
As more and more fanatics surfaced, more and more renditions of the Nike Blazer were witnessed by the hungry public. The lows and the highs were a sure crowd-favorite leaving their under-appreciated brother sitting in the Nike archives, waiting for its rightful reign. Come 2017, the Nike Blazer Mid surely had its revenge.
Design superstar Virgil Abloh teases a Nike Blazer Mid Off-White™ collab in 2017, and it was the end for the two cuts in the franchise. Fortunate enough, the mid-top sneaker was part of the “The Ten” collection which also includes other Nike iterations. The pack is split in two which is named aptly “The Revealing” and “The Ghosting.” The Nike Blazer Mid belonged to the former and fans went crazy for it.
It was not the first instance when the Nike Blazer Mid was treated with utmost attention. In 2006, graphic designer Dylan Adair composed a custom white Nike Blazer Mid for the legendary rock band Joy Division. Lasered details can be seen across the entire mid-top’s upper including one along the white Swoosh. All parts come in white including the midsole, interior, insole, and the laces.
Before the 2018 Nike Blazer Mid 77 Vintage became prominent, BEAMS were ahead on the race evident with their November 2013 release of a Quickstrike. The felt-wrapped mid-top is contrasted by a metallic silver Swoosh on the panels with an exciting choice of orange for its aglets. On the other hand, the Lucid Green Nike Blazer Mid Vintage of 2018 stays true to the dominant white facade.
- Two more Nike Blazer Mid Off-Whites were released in 2018 namely the “Grim Reaper” and the “All Hallows Eve.”
- The outsole is patterned with a Herringbone treading for optimal traction and grip which is also non-marking.
- Other versions of the Nike Blazer Mid shoes are the Blazer Studio Mid, Vintage, Premium, PRM VNTG, Diamondback, Rebel, and many many more.
- The Slam Jam x Nike Blazer Mid introduced their own rendition of the sneaker called the “Class 1977” which displays a flipped Swoosh along its medial panels.
