Nike is reclaiming its street cred in China by letting a local streetwear brand hijack its latest sneaker launch.
A first in the market, the flash-mob pop-up will only last a few hours on Saturday at local streetwear label Esoteric Thing’s retail space in downtown Shanghai.
The activation centers around the Nike Air Max Goadome, a style originally designed as a Timberland alternative. Fully covered in synthetic fur, the outdoor model — this time in faux pony hair — was first unveiled on Instagram by streetwear designer A$AP Bari.
Related Stories
The kicks come in two styles, a fully blacked-out model and one in cacao cow print, and will retail for 1,599 renminbi, or $220.
You May Also Like
The drop is planted as a hidden Easter egg in Esoteric Thing’s latest WeChat post, appearing within the look book photo shoot for its fall 2025 drop three. The location will be revealed through Snkrs Stash — Nike’s location-based feature in the Snkrs App that guides shoppers to secret drop spots across the city.
On Saturday, dozens of lucky shoppers will be able to secure a pair of the Nike Air Max Goadome style. On top of that, some will be able to receive the shoes in a custom-made toolbox with personalized graffiti designed by Donis, a local graffiti artist who has worked with the likes of Balenciaga and Hennessy.
The hijacked space will then turn into a block party for the launch at night.
For Nike, choosing to work with an unauthorized sneaker vendor showed its determination to break free from legacy wholesale channels and redefine its China strategy — one that supports community-building initiatives, some that aren’t even focused on Nike.
According to Billythewhale, founder of Esoteric Thing, the collaboration was a good fit due to its rebellious nature.
“They have a lot of rules, but if you play by the existing playbook, it’s hard to realize this event. We definitely have a hidden agenda — we want them to get angry emails from headquarters,” Billythewhale said.
A former streetwear blogger, Billythewhale launched the streetwear brand Esoteric Thing in 2010 with a mission to “take the younger generation on a journey through streetwear culture and connect them with the global creative community,” Billythewhale said. “We are definitely the first streetwear brand with local roots — we have built a community of creatives, of filmmakers and of artists that came together simply because of our love of clothes and fashion.”
With a retail presence on Taobao, China’s popular e-commerce platform, the brand began hosting monthlong pop-ups within the downtown Shanghai scene since 2024.