Whenever designer Ronnie Fieg releases a sneaker collaboration, you know it’s going to be special, which is exactly why the internet was buzzing Sunday after Fieg shared a purported Nike collab on his Instagram account.
The rumored collaboration, which used the Nike Air Max Uptempo 97 as its canvas, featured an olive green nubuck upper on the late ’90s basketball classic and Ronnie Fieg branding on the insole. It was a great-looking sneaker that had people talking immediately, but there was one small problem: It’s not actually a collab at all, according to Fieg.
Fieg took to Twitter to clarify the situation, explaining that the personalized kicks were really a sample pair that Nike made exclusively for him. “Not a collaboration,” Fieg wrote, effectively dashing the dreams of many sneaker fans.
Although it sounds like we won’t be getting this Ronnie Fieg x Nike Air Max Uptempo 97 anytime soon — if ever — the designer has a number of other exciting projects in the works. Fieg rounded out October by releasing a luxury boot collection with Fracap, and his upcoming Adidas Ultra Boost collaboration has already begun making headlines despite not having a confirmed release date.
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Kith, the New York store founded by Fieg in 2011, will be honored later this month as Retailer of the Year at the 2016 Footwear News Achievement Awards.
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