The Nike 'Dear Chicago' Pack Pays Homage to the Second City

From Michael Jordan and the Bulls to the late Virgil Abloh, the city of Chicago and Nike have a special relationship. With many sneakers in the past paying homage to the Windy City, Nike are dropping more with the ‘Dear Chicago’ Pack that has design and storytelling input coming from five local Chicago retailers.

The ‘Dear Chicago’ Pack is comprised of the Air Force 1 Low and big bubble Air Max 1, telling the story of how the city became nicknamed the Second City. The AF-1 takes inspiration from old Chicago, using a pre-aged look with cracked leather and suede throughout, symbolising the city before the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The lateral Swoosh is seen in red as the medial side features a cow print, taking after the rumour of a cow tipping over a lantern that set the city ablaze.

The Air Max 1 symbolises new Chicago and how the city was rebuilt from the ground up. The grey overlays take after the city’s world-renowned architecture, as steel and concrete are the foundation for a majority of Chicago’s skyscrapers. A blueprint is seen around the heel, once again going into the architecture theme as the blue Swooshes symbolise the city’s riverwalk. Both sneakers share Chicago’s skyline alongside the Swoosh on the tongue tag, featuring the Sears Tower.

The Nike ‘Dear Chicago’ Pack is set to drop locally at Chicago retailers Leaders 1354, Notre, Succezz, SVRN, Top Fashion, and Stash on October 20, 2023, with a wider SNKRS launch following a day later. Check out the photos above and keep it locked to Sneaker Freaker for any updates.