Throwback Thursday: Nike Air Carnivore

Something so ugly it was beautiful… The Nike Air Carnivore has always and will always be a love/hate shoe.  First released in 1993, the shoes were popular amongst some, but too much to the average Joe.  The Air Carnivore was one of the most technical cross training shoes of its time utilizing a perforated Neoprene boot and a series of straps to create a secure fit without laces.  Though the name of the shoe is the Air Carnivore, ironically, the shoe is technically vegetarian making use of synthetic Durabuck on the panels that appear to be leather. I personally was fortunate enough to have a pair back when I was in the 4th grade.  It should be noted that this was only because they were on the $29 clearance rack at Big 5 Sporting Goods.  A handful of colorways were made in the Carnivore (my younger brother had the all black/purple), but this colorway could not come at a better time for Mighty Ducks of Anaheim fans who played in their debut season in ‘1993-94. Though the Nike Air Carnivore has been a popular piece in vintage head’s collections, the shoe has never returned as a retro.

Nike Air Carnivore

Nike Air Carnivore

Nike Air Carnivore

Nike Air Carnivore

Nike Air Carnivore

Nike Air Carnivore

Nike Air Carnivore

76 Comments »

1. Air Yeezys?
   haha..

   nah but these look like some ol’ futuristic robotic joints..

   Comment by Dee — November 20, 2008 @ 12:06 am

2. yo I’m first!!!!!!!!!! Hey there kinda cool I’ll comp them if I had the chance
   Ps. Hey it’s not even thursday it’s wensday were I live

   Edited by Nice Kicks:

   No son, you are not first. There are these things called timezones around the globe. Not every person lives according to the same clock.

   Comment by Joooe one — November 20, 2008 @ 12:09 am

3. i like they look like 8s a tiny bite but i defiantly would rock these this color way nd others hard as hell

   Comment by CHRIS32 — November 20, 2008 @ 12:11 am

4. damn they resemble the AJ8…. Makes a lot of sense…

   Comment by ben — November 20, 2008 @ 12:12 am

5. these are tough
   where can i cop some of these

   Comment by SwooshCriminal — November 20, 2008 @ 12:13 am

6. actually, the other way around…
   the 8’s look like these

   Comment by RL — November 20, 2008 @ 12:14 am

7. NICE!!!

   Comment by oldjumpman — November 20, 2008 @ 12:15 am

8. those are just crazy

   Comment by Robbie — November 20, 2008 @ 12:28 am

9. air carnivores!!!!!! holy sh*t you snapped this week!!!! jesus christ i dont even remember the last time i saw a pair of these.nice walk down memory lane…

   Comment by dave — November 20, 2008 @ 12:55 am

10. Looking at them, I remember the Air Diamond Turf.

    Comment by Rude — November 20, 2008 @ 1:53 am

11. I wish NIKE still made shoes with the anti-inversion strap like these and my all-time fav bball sneaks the AIR UNLIMITED!! bring back some pics of the air unlimited please!

    Comment by gonzo — November 20, 2008 @ 2:05 am

12. Nike, please stop BSing us & RETRO these

    Comment by wsjones1981 — November 20, 2008 @ 4:27 am

13. THESE GO HARD…. WHERE CAN I COP A PAIR NOW? IM READY TO DROP CASH

    Comment by CANNON — November 20, 2008 @ 6:12 am

14. OLD JUMPMAN:

    I’m skeptical of those pics… everybody waiting to see em and somebody takes a picture from a nice distance with no shot of the box tag? Looks like OG’s in a CDP box to me. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say these are a hoax of OG’s in a CDP box until I see more evidence.

    Comment by IkonRadio — November 20, 2008 @ 6:53 am

15. they’re different wish they would bring some of them 90’s high tops so many worship

    Comment by yung albino — November 20, 2008 @ 7:48 am

16. @ IkonRadio

    I feel what you’re saying about the pic quality…seems fishy!But if you look at the backward direction of the jumpman on those XI they are clearly not the OG or Retro breds—however, the CDP XI DO have the jumpman facing away from the toebox.

    Comment by nikeindabutt — November 20, 2008 @ 8:14 am

17. nice. please retro these. and the unlimiteds. what are you talking about?^^^
    this ain’t a jordan thread…

    Comment by dopasaurus — November 20, 2008 @ 8:30 am

18. WTF???

    Comment by WIZEGUY — November 20, 2008 @ 8:31 am

19. however, let lil wayne, kanye, jay z, young jeezy wear this ugly shoes and EVERYONE will thing they’re nice. smDh!!!

    Comment by WIZEGUY — November 20, 2008 @ 8:32 am

20. ^

    Someone posted pics of the *supposed* 11/12 CDP in virtually every comment section for the past two days. These are just responses to the integrity of the photo.

    Alright, back the Carnivores now

    Comment by Nice Kicks — November 20, 2008 @ 8:32 am

21. illest non jordan nikes ever…kill for these.

    Comment by echo — November 20, 2008 @ 8:41 am

22. #2 Joooe one. hahahaha got dissed by the NICEKICKS staff!!! hahaha time zone’s mayne!!!!

    Comment by PR CHewwin — November 20, 2008 @ 8:42 am

23. I’m a sneakerhead myself but i’ve never heard of these Nikes, wow, shows me how much i know about retro kicks, need to do some more research

    Comment by J.Wynter — November 20, 2008 @ 8:43 am

24. only true sneaker heads know about these.do your homework.the black and reds are the jump offs.

    Comment by echo — November 20, 2008 @ 8:43 am

25. I hope one day Nike release a retro version, I LOVE THIS SNEAKERS

    Comment by Raul — November 20, 2008 @ 8:47 am

26. down here in miami deres dis st0re in front of coco walk kalled project 51 my boy hes da owner owns an original pair dead stock, he has em in display in da store but he wont sell them.. idk offer him sumthn he cant refuse nd they might b yurs!

    Comment by layzienelson — November 20, 2008 @ 8:55 am

27. Now those are some classic joints. I had the black/purple ones back in the day… and despite its appearance, the ankle-support is, at best, minimal.

    Comment by Sinner — November 20, 2008 @ 9:14 am

28. I’ve been fiending for these to be retroed. I had the black/white/red joints in 11th grade (’94). That color was extra rare. I’m just afraid that Nike will f up a retro and do them dirty, like making them leather or something stupid like that.

    Please Nike, retro these so that I can retire in peace!

    Comment by R. See 718 — November 20, 2008 @ 9:30 am

29. looks like the sharkleys

    Comment by Tj — November 20, 2008 @ 9:31 am

30. BTW, I saw these on eBay a few months ago, and they were selling for only $80. I passed because the box tag looked fake.

    Comment by R. See 718 — November 20, 2008 @ 9:32 am

31. Half of you are too young to realize the significance of these sneakers…in 93 these were it in NYC…and trust me with a starting point over 100 bucks back then..these were the pinicale of fresh…they dropped late august just in time for the new school year…and for those who couldn’t afford these there was a pair of Nike Cross Trainers that came in the same colorway…THESE are my FAV kicks of all time..You have to be 28 or older to even appreciate what your looking at here…these are the Heather Hunter of Sneakers!!!!!!!!

    Comment by G4Scott — November 20, 2008 @ 9:37 am

32. These shoes do not need to be retroed. I really don’t See anything special about them to have them retroed, I see why they were on the clearance rack. Where are those damn pics of the 11/12 cdp post that up not these ugly shoes. LOSER!!!

    Comment by Eat_a_Sneaker — November 20, 2008 @ 9:48 am

33. You guess are nuts! these are ugly!

    Comment by QWAR — November 20, 2008 @ 9:52 am

34. I know a kid who still has these in the same color. This shoe was ahead of its time.

    Comment by J.King — November 20, 2008 @ 10:12 am

35. I could see them being retroed for today’s fashion scene.

    Comment by unlimitedfutwear — November 20, 2008 @ 10:17 am

36. remind me of the 8’s

    Comment by air jordan fan 4567 — November 20, 2008 @ 10:18 am

37. g4scott is right half you cats dont know what ur looking at. Back in 93 I had the blk/purple joints i was a freshmen n high school. This kicks had to b the illest joints out. I remember having these on with a fresh polo shirt i thought i was the man lol. Aaah memories bk all day.

    Comment by Doc — November 20, 2008 @ 10:22 am

38. w0w I remember when these came 0ut, I slept 0n these, but these r da hardest n0n j0rdans that they can retr0, I use 2 call them da space b0ots…….I was jus talkin 2 my man ab0ut these yesterday, dat they need t0 bring these back 0ut

    Comment by papi — November 20, 2008 @ 10:38 am

39. remind me of the 8s and huraches mixed..but i doubt my wide foot would fit lol

    Comment by Jon Blaze — November 20, 2008 @ 10:44 am

40. “The Nike Air Carnivore has always and will always be a love/hate shoe.”

    I hate it.

    Comment by SvenBlack — November 20, 2008 @ 10:58 am

41. Ahead of their time, these are sweeet! Doper than alot of shoes to come out recently. IMO

    Comment by Retro3 — November 20, 2008 @ 11:16 am

42. MATT…thanks for posting this…. i too had these back in the 4th grade ….black and purple…2 me and i repeat 2 me this shoe is second next to the jordan 8’s..
    these along wit the griffeys are shoes that i will cop 2 pairs of…oh and the 11/12 pack..
    bring em back nike…!!!!
    mighty ducks jersey was another item that needs to be brought back…

    Comment by bxbomber — November 20, 2008 @ 11:30 am

43. damn i had those! im getting old

    Comment by kev c — November 20, 2008 @ 12:41 pm

44. matt…i have a bunch of 90’s kicks.let me know if u need some pix.brings back old memories.

    Comment by leedone — November 20, 2008 @ 12:43 pm

45. I had this same exact pair back in 1993. Bought them in Singapore. There was a nice white, black and red colorway as well.

    Comment by Wayne Brooks — November 20, 2008 @ 2:15 pm

46. And people used to say the three marks on the outside of the ankle strap were supposed to be a man’s face, with two eyes and a nose or mouth.

    Comment by Wayne Brooks — November 20, 2008 @ 2:21 pm

47. i wood rock any body got a pair for sale ????

    sneaker heads ebay or sumthin ???

    Comment by mel — November 20, 2008 @ 3:00 pm

48. damn im getting old..lol

    i had these in the 5th grade..and i think the store my mom copped them from still have more to sale to this date.

    Comment by yeroc4va — November 20, 2008 @ 3:14 pm

49. they fope…these look like tha hauraches …..

    Comment by kyren hamilton — November 20, 2008 @ 4:01 pm

50. 1st comment is idiotic… Air Yeezy’s? really? Air Yeezy’s? if anything they resemble the Retro 8’s and Haurache’s illegitimate love child

    Comment by d2j — November 20, 2008 @ 5:14 pm

51. I LOVE THESE SNEAKERS!!! I WANT THEM SO MUCH RIGHT NOW! Just send me a pair Nike if you don’t want to retro them. Send me a email LOL

    I guess no one else wants them, but these sneaker not only looked good but they actually WORKED. When you strapped all those straps, those sneakers were on your feet for sure (almost becomes part of them).

    I was in college when these came out. I bought them one sale for 79.99 and got the black and purple. I LOVED THEM!!!

    If they come back, I’m buying 2 pairs. No thought process involved, just them get them.

    Remember, Nike, I know your reading this blog, if you aint retroing them, send me an email and give me a pair LOL

    Comment by PhilWil — November 20, 2008 @ 6:01 pm

52. the glory days of nike innovation. -_-
    can we go back?

    Comment by terrell — November 20, 2008 @ 7:13 pm

53. These are the illmaticest after the Agassi’s

    Comment by Deano — November 20, 2008 @ 8:07 pm

54. #1, Air Yeezy’s? No sir, no resembalence

    Comment by mikeyfresh — November 20, 2008 @ 8:31 pm

55. Young cats ain’t gonna remember these. These are one of my alltime favs. Matt please correct me if i’m wrong didn’t Chris Webber when the FAB 5 was killing it wear a version of these back in the day or was that the Nike Air Unlimited that they wore that was similar to these.

    Comment by solesaved — November 20, 2008 @ 9:33 pm

56. mannnnn. i remember when i came 2 school in the 7th grade wit these it was over……. the black & purple colorway. thanx 4 the memories

    Comment by TheNatural — November 20, 2008 @ 10:43 pm

57. its funny how Nike use to cram kicks into those lil ass boxes back in the day

    Comment by manny — November 20, 2008 @ 11:24 pm

58. i have two pairs of these they are for sale worn $200 wore them at sneakerpimps nyc

    Comment by TRONTEKKA — November 21, 2008 @ 12:58 am

59. they look like they inspired huraches

    Comment by kstate — November 21, 2008 @ 2:14 am

60. dese choppin must have where can i purchase

    Comment by B — November 21, 2008 @ 12:01 pm

61. I like.

    Comment by Heat Tha 916er — November 21, 2008 @ 6:32 pm

62. I’d wear ‘em. Quirky shoes to go with my quirky personality.

    Comment by grizz8884 — November 21, 2008 @ 8:03 pm

63. YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Finally!!!!!!! I have been waiting for more than 15 years to be able to get these again. Ya’ll youngins think it’s all about jordans and, well I don’t know what ya’ll think it’s about but all the fresshest of the fresh was rocking these!!! Ya’ll younginnz wouldn’t even know how to rock the sock piece! Oh yeah in case ya’ll didn’t know there are no laces on these so ya’ll wouldn’t even know how to rock the strap! How dare you compare these to the 8’s please! Oh yeah what yall know about the forest and puple combo, this combination go back like beef and broccoli. like the man siad if you not at least 28 yrs old you know nothing about these! I was rockin sophemore year in high school, pure chick magnets!!! Brooklyn we BACK!!!!!!

    Comment by NY-AFFICINADO-XX — November 21, 2008 @ 8:15 pm

64. i wouldve copped

    Comment by Fly Fat Guy — November 21, 2008 @ 10:46 pm

65. i love these

    Comment by greenmaker24 — November 21, 2008 @ 11:18 pm

66. as a retro kick they fly as hell especially the jumpoff red black colors but i would drop cash just to own these kicks

    Comment by Suwoop — November 22, 2008 @ 10:39 am

67. I had all three colorways but this colorway was my favorite. If I could find a pair deadstock man o man I would rock the F@#k out of them

    Comment by Emanuel — November 22, 2008 @ 3:44 pm

68. 68th!!

    Comment by georgebobersonthethird — November 23, 2008 @ 5:14 pm

69. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

    Comment by JoRdAnS — November 25, 2008 @ 8:19 pm

70. these are frsh

    ima cop

    Comment by chi — November 26, 2008 @ 8:47 am

71. I hope these retro one day. there classic’s.

    Comment by anthony — November 28, 2008 @ 10:33 pm

72. NIKE REALLY NEED 2 RETRO THESE IN THE ORIGINAL COLORS. THEY MIGHT B SOLD OUT DA 1ST DAY

    Comment by SNEAKER JUNKIE 010 — November 29, 2008 @ 10:14 am

73. Retro These nike!

    Comment by sam — November 29, 2008 @ 2:01 pm

74. eeerrrmm….

    needs a water blue concept.
    light blues 2 dark.

    then this shoe can make it back

    Comment by marc — November 29, 2008 @ 7:31 pm

75. if anyone knows where i can purchase a pair or four pairs of these sneakers,please let me know.I would like to give two as gifts and 2 for me.
    i like these sneakers,let me know,thanks

    Comment by selwyn — December 11, 2008 @ 8:06 pm

76. if anyone knows where i can purchase a pair or four pairs of these sneakers,please let me know.I would like to give two as gifts and 2 for me.
    i like these sneakers,let me know,thanks
    my email address is selwynmaraj@gmail.com

    Comment by selwyn — December 11, 2008 @ 8:07 pm

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