Nike has officially revealed its Calm Mule silhouette, a closed-toe evolution of the popular summer-ready Calm Slide it launched back in June.
The Mule, which features a fabric ankle strap, branding at the heel, and a debossed Nike logo on the side, arrives in olive, black, and grey colorways and, according to rumors, is slated to be landing later this year.
But hey, let’s not waste time by ignoring the elephant in the room: Nike’s new Calm Mule does look suspiciously like a Birkenstock Boston Clog, right?
Miniature Swoosh aside, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Nike Calm Mule was actually Birkenstock’s recently-released EVA Boston Clog, but alas it is not.
Still, they say that imitation is the best form of flattery, so perhaps the German label should consider Nike’s Boston-esque Calm Mule as a sign of appreciation for the style.
Saying that, from Birkenstock’s perspective, these sorts of imitations aren’t anything new. In the last week alone we’ve seen labels like The Row and Novesta board the Boston wave with their own take on the slip-on Clog. But then again, can you blame them?
Last year Yoox, the luxury e-tailer, reported that the Birkenstock Boston sandal was its best-selling shoe that year, while Lyst estimated that searches for the Boston boomed by 593 percent in the first-half of the year alone.
Imitation accusations aren’t new for Nike’s Calm family either. When it launched its first slip-on slide earlier this year, comparisons were immediately drawn to YEEZY’s popular slide, and for good reason too. I mean, they’re basically the same identical shoe.
Even so, Nike doesn’t seem to care and the impending release of their Birkenstock-ified Calm Mule is proof. As I say, imitation is said to be the best form of flattery. I suppose it’s just a case of realizing when said imitation is being taken too far.
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