When Tom Sachs and Nike produced the General Purpose Shoe through their collaborative NikeCraft label, Sachs made it clear that his goal with the silhouette — often referred to as the GPS — was accessibility. He implored consumers not to pay resell for the GPS as it would be "restocked" and "perennial," and ran memorable ad campaigns that playfully derided his own design as "boring," while also stating that creativity was "the enemy." Sachs jumped through a lot of hoops to ensure that the GPS was a shoe of the people, and his biggest effort yet was stocking large quantities of it at a retailer that's about as far from the standard definition of sneakerhead "cool" as you can imagine: Kohl's, who, yesterday, announced that the shoes were available at a select number of their stores.
The largest chain department store in the USA as of December 2021 with 1,162 locations and stores in every state but Hawaii, Kohl's is a practical, proletarian choice for footwear, apparel, home goods and more. They're a Nike stockist but their selection hews more towards affordable everyday pairs from the Swoosh's budget-priced and takedown lines than high-heat collabs.
Images shared on social media show surprised customers picking up pairs at their local Kohl's stores, some of which are displayed on a fixture with a matching poster. The "Archive" colorway was the second General Purpose Shoe makeup to be produced after the much more limited "Studio," and though it retails for $110 USD it's currently selling for roughly $200 USD — a number that's likely to come down further as the rollout continues.
Not mad. @sockjig pic.twitter.com/3lG7lWhkbY
— Salty. (@salty1pt0) September 30, 2022
If you're interested in heading to your local Kohl's and scoring a pair of the Tom Sachs x NikeCraft General Purpose Shoe "Archive," head over to kohls.com for a list of participating locations.
For more footwear news, be sure to check out the latest installment of Sole Mates, a weekly series from Hypebeast that spotlights notable individuals from the world of street culture and their connection to their favorite shoes.
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