In order to fully gauge the present, you have to gain a full understanding of the past. The Foamposite Technology was the brainchild of Nike designer Eric Avar. Rumor has it that Avar first designed these kicks with Scottie Pippen in mind. Doesn't matter now, because the Foamposite One will forever be known as Penny's sneaker. The Foamposites made its debut in March of 1997.
Foamposite Pro's also made its debut in 1997, with the "Voltage", "Black Metallic", and "Pearl" colorways.
Sidenote: The "Pearl" colorway made its first retro comeback in 2002.
The Foamposite Pro came back in 2002, kinda feeling out the market to see if there was an audience for it. The absence of the Foamposite One is noticeable during this time.
The "Black on Black" Foamposite Pro was the only Foam release in 2003.
2006 saw the "Dr. Doom" and "Blackout" Foamposite Pro releases.
It was 2007 when we saw the return of the Foamposite One's. The Black/Red colorway was followed by 2008's "Dark Amy" joints.
2010's "Cough Drop" colorway was one of the most slept on Foams ever. These kicks ended up at Nike Factory Outlets for $89.99 towards the end of 2010.
The "Eggplant" colorway was one of the most popular colorways ever, dropping back to back in 2009 and 2010. Both releases proved to be highly successful, and the Foamposite Era was officially reborn.
The "Copper Penny" Foams were one of the most highly anticipated releases for any sneaker, let alone a Foamposite. Just the link between "Penny" and an actual penny made sneakerheads camp out and cop one of the greatest releases in Foamposite history.
In 2011, Nike released the Foamposite Pro in the "Electric Green" colorway, and the Foamposite One in the "Pewter" colorway, which had been successful on the Air Jordan 1 in 2010.
Foamposite Pro's came back strong in 2012, with 3 releases that all made a statement. The "Bright Crimson" was the most popular of the three.
Two of the most sought-after Foamposite One's were released in 2012. The "Galaxy" Foams were released during All-Star Weekend that year, and the "Paranorman" Foams are still exceeding over $3,000 per pair. Both pairs of Foams came with "Glow-In-The-Dark" soles, as well as being the first pairs of Foams to feature a "theme" to them.
The "Fighter Jet" Foams were released at the top of 2013. These Foams feature a white camo theme print over the "Pewter" colorway.
Keeping with themes, the "Phoenix Suns" colorway was released, as a salute to Penny's days with his playoff-caliber team from the 1990's.
An all White "Milky" Foamposite was released in the summer of 2013, as a tribute to the White on White AF1's, as well as just being a clean, crispy summertime shoe.
The "Army Camo" Foamposite Pro's dropped in the 3rd quarter of 2013, marking the first time a gum sole was used in connection with Foamposite Technology. There are many highlights to these kicks, as well as a military "runway stripe" on the back tab, the "Flying Eagle" on the insole, and the Foam Pro born date at the top of the lace panel. Just a well done Foamposite Pro.
Here is where things start to get hazy. Instead of just re-releasing the "Royal" Foamposite One in its OG colorway, they added a mono-grey panel to the top panel that takes away from these Foams, in my opinion. Someone dared to go way left on this one.
The final flick above brings us back to the theme-oriented Foams. The "Weatherman" Pack features two Foams, the actual "Weatherman" colorway, which features a doppler radar weather tracker across the Foam panels, and the "Thermal Map" joints, which feature a thermal radar in a deep red, purplish-pink colorway.
Foamposite Technology came a long way from its early beginnings, and have transitioned to becoming one of the greatest styles of basketball sneakers ever made. The first mold for the Foams cost Nike over $750,000 to create. The original molds were destroyed, guessing the kicks would not be as popular as they are today.
The gamble to bring back the Foamposite Ones almost 10 years after its inital release was a gamble that paid of well for Nike. We' will continue to see where Foams go from here. Where do you go after you reach the Top-Shelf? Knowing Nike, they will roll the dice again, and bet it all. Cali "O" #TeamKickGame #KnowYourHistory #YouMustLearn #FactsOnly
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