At long last, a first look at the upcoming Galaxy Foamposite has been revealed by Nike through their recently aired SNKRS Live preview of upcoming 2024 and 2025 footwear. Confirmed to drop in February of next year, the Air Foamposite One “Galaxy” revisits one of the most notorious sneaker releases of all-time that truly changed the sneaker game.

A Brief History

The Nike Galaxy Foamposite originally dropped in February of 2012 to celebrate that season’s NBA All-Star Game in Orlando. Nike executed a NASA-inspired theme as a nod to the nearby Kennedy Space Center; various design details were inserted through the entire Nike Basketball All-Star Collection, including the Kobe 7, LeBron 9, and KD 4.

The Air Foamposite One was by far the most coveted release of that collection; it was the first time Nike implemented a graphic pattern on the upper as imagery of the outer space galaxy covered the foam-molded upper. Black lace collars and interiors, dark grey accents on the pull-tabs and the 1-Cent logo, and glow-in-the-dark outsoles completed the look.

How The Galaxy Foamposite Changed Nike Forever

Consumer interest around sneakers had been steadily growing throughout the 2000s and into the early 2010s. As recently as 2012, Nike and its retail partners still operated midnight releases, allowing customers to line-up at the dead of night to purchase shoes. However, a string of chaotic release events drew attention from local police and eventually the news, shedding a negative light on such release dates.

What happened in February 2012 forced Nike to re-strategize their release procedures to ensure safety of the public. Thousands of sneakerheads gathered at a mall parking lot in Florida, causing an unruly scene given just how few pairs of the shoes were releasing. Similar events occurred throughout the nation, posing a security risk for customers, store workers, and passer-bys. Just a few weeks prior was the release of the Air Jordan 11 “Concord” in December 2011, which drew a similar reaction.

In April 2012, Nike swiftly introduced new sneaker release procedures that essentially moved all big-ticket sneaker drops out of shops and onto the web. First was Twitter RSVP, an early Draw-like system that would be impractical by today’s standards given the sheer number of entries. Following the introduction of Twitter RSVP, Nike announced that midnight releases on their web-store would be cancelled and moved to no earlier than 8 AM ET. Today, Nike releases launch at 10 AM ET.

From there, Nike launched the SNKRS App, a sneaker release hub where raffles are held on a weekly basis. Nike’s retailer partners launch their product throw raffles as well through dedicated platforms such as EQL and Shopify.

Will The Galaxy Foamposite Be A Hit Again?

There’s no question that the Air Foamposite One “Galaxy” will be a hotly sought-after shoe next February. However, the overall popularity and demand for Foamposites have decreased considerably since its heyday over a decade ago. Despite the changing trends, pairs will almost certainly sell out on the release date. We are several months out of the official release, but be sure to check back when we update the store list ahead of the February 2025 release.