Modern menswear pedigree
While the Killshot 2 has become a perennial favorite in Nike’s lifestyle lineup — not to mention the recipient of routine updates like this recent brown makeover — there was a time when the shoe was exclusive to menswear’s elite class.
The design was the result of a 2009 collaboration between Nike and J.Crew, who together revived the original Killshot from the 1970s, albeit with a leather upper in lieu of mesh (hence the “2” in its name).
Exclusive to the preppy American retailer, the first Killshot 2 release sold out in seconds. So did several subsequent drops. And before Nike knew it, it had a bona fide classic on its hands — one that has only become more relevant since the brand brought it in-house in 2019.
Just last year, for example, the Killshot 2 made a couple notable on-screen cameos: Josh O’Connor wore a pair the film Challengers, starring Zendaya, as did Adam Brody in the Netflix series Nobody Wants This.