The waffle sole is back. NikeSKIMS took the original Waffle Racer from the 1970s, kept its low racing shape and the waffle traction pattern underfoot, and restyled it in three two-tone colorways.
It’s the label’s second shoe after the Rift, and this one takes the line beyond the studio and onto the sidewalk. The upper mixes suede and nylon overlays with a cushioned midsole underfoot. Co-branded details sit on the tongue, heel and sock liner.
NikeSKIMS Waffle Racer in Thunder Blue and Muslin
Suede and nylon overlays · Cushioned midsole · Waffle traction pattern
Price: $130
Where to buy: Buy at SKIMS
Kept close to the original
Kim Kardashian picked this silhouette herself, and her reason is simple. “The Waffle Racer is one of those shoes I’ve always come back to. It’s so easy to wear and never goes out of style,” she says. No redesign drama here.
She co-founded SKIMS and runs its creative side, so the pick is personal and business at once. NikeSKIMS changed the styling and left the bones alone, which is the entire pitch: a vintage racer that slips into a modern rotation without a costume feel.
Three colorways, all two-tone
All three are two-tone. Baroque Brown and Velvet Brown stays in one espresso family, top to bottom. Lt Bone and Varsity Red pairs a cream upper with a red Swoosh, the closest thing here to a period pair from the 1970s. Thunder Blue and Muslin runs navy with a cream Swoosh over a gum-colored waffle outsole.
The matching clothes land November 17
The shoe is the early half of the drop. The Retro Sport collection follows on November 17 with Vintage Sport Fleece, a soft and heavyweight French terry built for layering. The Matte line adds new lace-up and contrast-trim styles. Outerwear carries the cold-weather end: a hooded puffer jacket, a puffer wrap and a half-zip coaches jacket. One week apart.
NikeSKIMS Waffle Racer in Baroque Brown and Velvet Brown
Three two-tone colorways · Co-branded tongue, heel and sock liner details
Price: $130
Where to buy: Buy at SKIMS
Buy it if your rotation leans vintage and you want the waffle sole without hunting a resale pair in your size. Skip it if you need real running tech, because this one’s a style shoe wearing a racer’s shape. The Waffle Racer is $130 at SKIMS and Nike now, and the matching Retro Sport pieces land November 17.
