Caitlin Clark lands SLAM KICKS 29 cover as signature Nike shoe launch nears
Iowa basketball superstar Caitlin Clark is the cover athlete for the latest issue of SLAM KICKS magazine, appearing with multiple colorways of her signature Nike Caitlin 1 shoes ahead of the highly anticipated release.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes standout sat down with SLAM to discuss the creative process behind her personalized footwear and what fans can expect from the new line.
What makes the Caitlin 1 design unique
The Caitlin 1 features several nods to Clark's career, but the most striking element is the Nike Opticast technology. The shoe's cast polyurethane nodes are shaped into the letters and numbers that fans have come to associate with Clark: the lateral side features little Cs while the medial side displays the number 22.
This was probably my favorite part of the design process, and I was very particular when we were going through this. Like, I wanted it to kind of be an Easter egg when the consumer gets this out of the box. They realize, like, this whole Opticast is made up of little Cs on this (lateral) side and then little twos on this (medial) side, and I think it comes to life really well. And then you kind of have this ripple effect, which is really cool. I think it just brings the shoe to life, Clark said.
How the shoe fits Clark's playing style
Clark said the Caitlin 1 was designed specifically to match how she moves on the court. The shoe includes an airbag in the forefoot to provide extra support for the quick cuts and step-back moves that have become her trademark.
I think it's probably the feel of the shoe. When you put this on, I wanted a ton of support in the front of my foot. And so there's an airbag up here. And I think for somebody that's always cutting a lot and trying to get to their step back or trying to get downhill, that was really important for me. So, I think just the cushion and the feel, and I think when people put these on, they'll be able to tell as well, Clark said.
Clark's hands-on approach to design
The Iowa native said she was deeply involved in every step of the design process, and she wants fans to know the shoe reflects her personal input, not just Nike's corporate direction.
I've probably given them a headache, but that's OK. I hope people know, like, I truly cared so much about this shoe, and it's not like Nike just created this; I created it with them, and I think that's really special and really important, and I hope people feel that. I think even with these first two colors that are launching, with the blue and the yellow, they're inverses of each other, and I feel like people didn't notice that right away, but it was something they discovered maybe a couple weeks later when the yellow was launched and talked about a little bit more, Clark said.
Clark hinted that more colorways are on the way, and she teased that fans should look for inverse color patterns in future releases.
And we'll maybe be doing that with a few more colors. So, I guess you gotta stay on the lookout, and you can put it into the photo booth app (with) every single color, and maybe the inverse of that color will come out. I don't know, we'll see, Clark said.
What this means for Iowa fans
For Iowa basketball fans who have followed Clark from her record-breaking college career to her rise in the WNBA, the Caitlin 1 represents a full-circle moment. The shoe carries the number 22 that Clark made famous in Iowa City, and the design elements reflect the style of play that made her a household name across the state and beyond.
The SLAM KICKS 29 cover feature gives fans a closer look at the shoes before they hit retail, and Clark's detailed breakdown of the design process offers insight into what went into creating her first signature line.
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