Nike Gladiateur Mid – Going Back to The Roman Sandal’s Athletic Roots

Thursday, December 10, 2009 • by Erika

Roman sandals were originally worn during games, competitions, and the ancient olympics. Athletes used to compete barefoot and after some time, a few of them took to wearing the strappy sandals. When the sandaled athletes started winning, people became highly suspicious of them and accused them of cheating. Eventually, the additional traction that the sandals provided was recognized and roman sandals became generally accepted and widely worn.

Historically, roman sandals were more than just protection and decoration for the feet. So when we came across the Gladietur Sandals from Nike, we thought the design was really appropriate considering the sandal’s athletic background:

Roman sandals were originally worn during games, competitions, and the ancient olympics. Athletes used to compete barefoot but after some time, a few of them took to wearing sandals. When the sandaled athletes started winning, people became highly suspicious of them and accused them of cheating. Eventually, the additional traction that the sandals provided was recognized and roman sandals became generally accepted and widely worn.

Nike Gladiateur Mid

Designed by Art Center College student Nancy Wu for Nike’s Re-Mix and Re-Cut program, these sandals sold quickly at shoe stores. However, they weren’t as popular with fashion blogs and critics.

We’re not surprised. A cross between anything trendy and sporty often end up looking like a joke (Hello Kitty Basketball or Louis Vuitton motorcycle anyone?). Trendsters are more willing to suffer for the sake of style while sporty people won’t sacrifice comfort and performance for anything else. But when done carefully, it could look alright. Right?

The other colors of these severely limited sandals are extremely hard to find, but the white Nike Gladiateur Mid roman sandals are available at Zappos.com. On sale now at $72.00.