Nike Air Never Looked Quite Like This

Air soles can be finicky. They have to be shipped across continents and are subjected to different temperatures in their journey, and a bag that’s going to bend in a certain direction needs to stay that way in a range of conditions.

“We make the Air soles and then they go to the shoe factory,” explains Gomez. “So it’s a whole separate process.”

Nike makes the unit in the Pegasus Premium settle into its form by post-processing it in a jig, where heat is applied over time.

“We’ve figured out a way in the process to be able to shape it so it holds the shape,” says Gomez, “and it holds the integrity of the Zoom.”

How does this actually feel for the wearer? This writer put an early pair on for a few minutes in Paris this week, and found the ride quite springy—more so than the Dn, Nike’s other big new Air shoe in 2024. (Unlike the Dn, the Pegasus Premium is an actual running shoe.) The Pegasus Premium fits true to size and has way more bounce than the average Nike Pegasus. It’s not as snappy as a carbon fiber–plated shoe, and instead gives a cartoony, almost wobbly impression. The shoe genuinely feels more fun than serious racing shoes like those from Nike’s Alphafly line.

If there is a predecessor to the Pegasus Premium, it’s the Zoom All Out, the Nike running shoe from 2016 that had a long Zoom Air unit. It also had a ride that Gomez describes as slappy, with the toe pulling down too much. The Pegasus Premium, with its curved Zoom Air, wants to be more flexible. This is achieved, according to Gomez, partly through the exposure on the unit’s sides, which aren’t held in by foam—the visibility is great for marketing, but also allows the shoe more lateral give and room to squish around.