Key Points
- Nike Waffle Racer SE arrives in a Black/Filbert-Sail colorway.
- It updates the original 1977 Waffle Racer silhouette.
- Style code IM8673-002; priced around 13,860 yen (about $90).
- Launching first in Japan; wider release to be confirmed.
Nike keeps mining its archive, and this time it reached back toward the silhouette that helped start it. The Waffle Racer SE returns in a low-key "Black/Filbert-Sail" colorway (style code IM8673-002), an updated take on the 1977 original, launching first in Japan at around 13,860 yen (about $90).
The history
The Waffle Racer is foundational Nike. Co-founder Bill Bowerman famously poured rubber into his wife's waffle iron to prototype the grid-pattern sole that gave the brand's early runners their traction — and their name — and the Waffle Racer became one of Nike's defining late-'70s shoes. The SE keeps that DNA, the waffle outsole and the slim retro-runner profile, while updating materials for a modern build.
The colorway
"Black/Filbert-Sail" is a quiet, earthy palette — black paired with filbert, a muted brown, over a sail midsole. It is the kind of understated, fall-ready tone that fits the current appetite for low-profile retro runners over loud, chunky silhouettes. At roughly $90, it also sits well below the premium archival drops Nike has been leaning on, a reminder that some of its best design history is also its most affordable.
The catch
For now the release is a Japan launch, with a wider rollout not yet confirmed. That makes it an import play for US buyers in the near term — on-brand for a silhouette that has always had a deeper following in Japan's retro-running scene than in the States. For more of the season's drops, see our 2026 sneaker release calendar.
Source: Gear Patrol
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