The dad shoe trend is here in full force, whether you like it or not. When it comes to these chunky, mall-walking sneakers, there's one shoe that reigns supreme: The Nike Air Monarch. It's Nike's best-selling sneaker and has become an ironic favorite of sneakerheads in the past few years. In recent times, Russell Westbrook has been seen wearing the sneaker courtside, Eric Koston has skated in them, and Concepts has even teased a supposed collaboration on the shoe. It's safe to say, for the time being, that the Monarch is here to stay with the cool kids. On the most recent episode of Sole Collector's Full Size Run, co-hosts Rich "MaZe" Lopez, Brendan Dunne, and yours truly got a chance to speak to Jason Mayden, former Nike and Jordan Brand designer who worked on the Nike Air Monarch II.
In the episode, Mayden breaks down his inspiration behind the shoe, which included thinking of dads hanging out in a wood-paneled room, watching football, and drinking Budweiser -- after mowing the lawn.
He also talks about what it was like to design sneakers for Michael Jordan and how the Jordan Fusions came about.
Watch the episode above.
