The never-ending chase for Nike’s enduring college colours.
Words and photography by Offspring Community member Tom Man @mastervariant
I first saw the Nike Terminator in its epic Georgetown colour-way on a poster, on a wall in a tiny sports store that sold mostly golf equipment located in, of all places, a small coastal Irish town. The store would have been forgettable were it not for the miniscule Nike basketball selection on the back wall of the store.
The Nike Terminator just looked immense. I guess NIKE in very large letters on the heel of a shoe can do that. It looked oddly dark, brooding even, in blue & grey, not a very sporty looking shoe at all, a very unique Nike at the time and it was probably the first fully non-white Nike high tops I'd seen at this point.
I never saw original Terminators for sale, but I always wanted them. Nike Penetrators, Legends and Vandals and more, all came and went. But none were blue & grey.
During the mid 90's in Tokyo, I did see the Georgetown Terminators in person. In boutique stores, mostly full of vintage Levi’s & biker boots, it was mind opening. Heaven for James Dean if he had played basketball. There were lows, highs, and canvas, even PE Hoyas editions in cabinets alongside Jordan 1’s. Lots of Jordans in fact, it still impresses me how far ahead Japanese sneaker enthusiasts were. Were we living under rocks then? Well, I didn't get any. I wanted new ones, not old, mouldy, totally baked pairs, and not at those antique prices. I don't think I, or anyone west of Japan was at that point yet, of buying really old, worn out pairs. Looking at where sneakers have gone now, it's probably best to move on past regrets.
By the time the Nike Dunk retro program came back out in 1998, I only remember the 1996 Jewel Air Force 1 mids sporting the classic Hoyas colours, built like tanks they were (everything was in this era) the soles fell apart from wear but the leather uppers would just get creased. What a sight lasting durability is.
From 1998 onwards, those early retro drops were becoming a big deal and there was a mad buzz on the dial up Internet chat boards. It was an era where Nike was re-issuing models largely absent from the marketplace, to thirsty enthusiasts eager to get hold of classic, older designs. Everyone was getting them and there were plenty to go around. Nike was breaking tradition and switching up colour-blockings normally associated with other staple silhouettes. The classic templates had been messed with, and everyone was loving it.
Nike were on a serious roll. Suddenly you could get an Air Force 1 low/mid and Dunk low/high that looked like the classic Terminator or Jordan 1. Suddenly Air Forces and Dunks had three even FOUR colours on them. All at once. Vandals, Air Force II's, Air Tech Challenges, Huaraches, ACG Terra's, and it kept coming... These things were wild.
Georgetown inspired retros were coming and when it happened I was so ready. Piccadilly’s Japan centre bookstore was always full of smart JP kids and Mo Wax headz grabbing Sneaker bibles like Boon and Streetjack and going straight to The Hideout. This is where you could see what was happening in Japan. Collectors were scanning images and posting them on Niketalk. The thirst & passion was addictive and people were getting hooked. In late summer of 2000 Footaction US dropped their still much sought after, tumbled leather Dunk High exclusives, amongst them, the Georgetown colour way also appeared, and budget flights to NYC and treks into suburban Brooklyn malls happened. Georgetown’s were dutifully bagged.
Not long after in 2001 Atmos Japan dropped the staggering twilight blue/med grey Georgetown inspired twin set consisting of an Air Force 1 low and a reversed Dunk low. Fighter jets scrambled, faxes were faxed and I ended up with pairs not in my size, as WELL as in my size. Pure idiocy, but zero regrets.
Around 2003 and three (four incl the wrong size 9’s) pairs of Atmos Air Force 1’s later, Nike finally released the Georgetown Terminator retro. It came and went. Buzz was surprisingly low key, three pairs were acquired. Quietly, smugly satisfied. That should have done it, but we know how this doesn’t end.
The Georgetown hues have stayed and become a personal collection staple, as I said to a fellow Atmos appreciator this week, I still get the feels when I see the Atmos set. Like an old dog, I don’t tire of it and it just gets more appreciation and grows in stature with age.
From original pairs to Nike bespoke ID’s and to this year’s fantastic Air Jordan 1 85 and beyond. Consistency is truly key. Just the blue and the grey will do, nothing else is needed. Frequently appearing sparingly on timeless basketball classics like the Air Flight '89, Air Trainer 1’s, Air Uptempo, and more, the chase and the pace seems more manageable these days, it must be the lack of faxes… It’s just something about that blue & grey combo that to me, works on any shoe. Class. Simplicity. Timelessness.
The Georgetown isn’t going anywhere, and we’re all the better for it. Amongst the craziness of today’s sneakers, sometimes less really is more. The only question is, what’s up next?
Check out more from Tom on Instagram @mastervariant
