# Athlete-Collaborative Zippered Sneakers Serena Williams Drops a Special Nike Air Force 1 LXX Zip By Amy Duong | Published 2021-09-28 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lxx-zip References: [hypebeast](https://hypebeast.com/2021/9/serena-williams-nike-air-force-1-lxx-zip-dm5036-100-release-info) Serena Williams recently unveils a laceless iteration of the Air Force 1 alongside Nike with the brand new LXX Zip design model. The shoes are adorned in a summit white color option with tumbled leather making up the upper. It is then marked with a golden zipper right at the forefoot, replacing where the laces rest usually. The lateral side of the shoe has a double Swoosh accent embroidered onto the silhouette. The athlete's signature is also stitched onto the heel tab in the same regal color. The logo on the shoe reads "10 4 01" which is a celebration of diversity and inclusion, finding itself on the tongue section. All of this sits atop a crispy white sole unit foundation. Image Credit: Nike ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.1/10 - Popularity: 82% | Activity: 92% | Freshness: 10% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Shoes](https://www.trendhunter.com/shoes) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Zippered Sneakers:** The rise of zippered sneakers presents opportunities for brands to explore innovative shoe designs that provide easy wearing experience. - **Collaborative Shoes:** Collaborative shoe development between athletes and designers offers fresh perspectives and can lead to highly-desirable, limited-edition products. - **Laceless Sneakers:** The emergence of laceless sneakers suggests possibilities for shoe companies to explore new and unconventional closure systems. ### Who This Affects Most - **Athletic Footwear:** The athletic footwear industry can innovate by exploring unique design options such as laceless sneakers, zippers, and collaborations with athletes to appeal to a wider consumer base. - **Fashion and Apparel:** The fashion and apparel industry can take advantage of the trend of collaborative shoes with athletes and designers to provide customers with unique, limited-edition products and expand their brand's reach. - **Textile and Leather Manufacturing:** The textile and leather manufacturing industries can explore innovating new materials and techniques for creating high-quality and comfortable shoes that feature new closure systems like zippers. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Silver Accent Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/summit-whitemetallic-silver.md) - [Retro Translucent Lifestyle Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/invisible-woman-20.md) - [Butterfly-Motif Lifestyle Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/butterflies-edition.md) - [Slip-On Sneaker-Inspired Shoes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nike-air-force-1-lover-wilds.md) - [Slingback-Heel Zipped Sneaker Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/air-max-craze-1.md) - [Athlete-Honoring Lifestyle Footwear](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/linen-edition.md) - [Boldly Designed Zipped Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/air-max-sunder.md) - [Premium Low-Cut Lifestyle Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/air-force-1-low-paris.md) - [Sushi Restaurant-Collab Shoes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sushi-club.md)