Paul Rodriguez has been tied to Nike SB for more than 20 years, becoming the brand’s first signature skateboarder and building one of the longest-running signature lines in skateboarding. His first Nike SB shoe arrived in 2005, and that original P-Rod 1 has been back in rotation recently with colorways that pull directly from the shoe’s early years.
This Saturday, the Nike SB Air Zoom Paul Rodriguez Low returns in Light British Tan, bringing a full tonal brown setup to the original P-Rod shape.
Back to the First P-Rod
The P-Rod 1 was built around a rounded toe, cupsole construction, and Zoom Air cushioning, giving Rodriguez the impact protection and board feel he wanted when the shoe first released in 2005. The current version keeps that original setup, including the added impact plate, patterned sidewalls around the heel, and the black and red chain-link graphic on the sockliner.
For the Light British Tan colorway, plush tan suede covers most of the upper, with matching tones continuing through the tongue, Swoosh, midsole, and outsole. The heel carries the repeating P-Rod pattern, while University Red and black details break up the otherwise tonal build.
A Nod to Tom Penny
The brown color story also connects back to Tom Penny, one of Rodriguez’s longtime skate influences.
Penny became closely associated with the wheat-colored éS Accel during the 1990s, and Rodriguez has spoken about Penny’s influence on his skating. Rodriguez also rode for éS before joining Nike SB, which makes the all-brown treatment a fitting reference for his first signature model. Earlier P-Rod 1 releases used a similar brown direction, and the Light British Tan version pushes that idea further with an almost completely tonal upper. Sole Retriever
Twenty years later, the details that made the first P-Rod recognizable are still here: the quilted heel panels, rounded shape, padded construction, patterned sidewall, and visible Zoom Air cushioning. Nike has kept the build close to the 2005 original while bringing the shoe back into the current SB lineup.
Release Details
Nike SB Air Zoom Paul Rodriguez Low
Light British Tan / University Red / Black
Style: IQ6827-200
Release: Saturday, October 3
In-store 11AM - Online 2PM ET
MSRP: $125
Sizes 8M-14M available
