Kai Cenat made history when he became the first streamer to sign a major deal with Nike. It signaled a shift that streamers, like athletes, were just as popular, and in some instances more prominent, in the cultural sphere as the biggest performers across sports and entertainment. At 10.8m followers on Instagram and 86.5m subscribers on Twitch, Cenat's comedic demeanor and relatability has been paramount to his appeal to everyday audiences.
The native New Yorker appeared in a recent hype up post for Nike's upcoming Air Max 1 "Low Poly" silhouette. Released under its .SWOOSH web3 platform, the shoe appears relatively faithful to Tinker Hatfield's 1987 classic, with slight changes to the Swoosh that sees the logo altered to mimic the graphics in a '90s video game. The geometric aesthetic continues throughout the upper, as a gradient pattern in the form of grey pixel squares bleed into the toe box.
Sparing no detail, the shoe features tongue branding in a digitized typeface, as well as a "Push/Start" callout on the insole. Cenat and Nike unveiled the forthcoming sneaker in a white cubicle filled with arcade games, a leopard patterned floor and desk accessories all visually rendered to appear as if the streamer stepped into a retro console game.
Preorder for the Nike Air Max 1 "Low Poly" will begin on October 8th, 2024 for $150 USD.
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