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Nike’s Affordable Birkenstock Dupe Is Officially the New King of Camo

The brand pairs up with Realtree for a sophomore release of nature-inspired slip-ons.

Close-up of a shoe with a white base featuring a camouflage pattern of tree branches, green pine needles, and yellow leaves. The shoe has dark brown woven straps attached to the upper part. The word "REALTREE" is visible within the camouflage design.Nike
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By Jack Seemer

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Thoreau once said, “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”

So, in a way, it makes sense that a mule called the Calm would be Nike’s canvas for the great outdoors.

Earlier this year, the brand outfitted its minimal Birkenstock Boston dupe in Realtree camo. And not for the last time, it would seem.

Pair of slip-on clogs with a camouflage pattern featuring brown, tan, and green leaves and branches, tan adjustable heel straps, and tan textured soles.
The Calm Realtree debuted earlier this year.
Nike
Close-up of a slip-on clog with a camouflage pattern featuring brown, tan, green, and gray leaves and branches. The shoe has a tan adjustable strap with Velcro at the back and a textured tan sole. The interior is beige with a cushioned footbed.
Realtree is a standalone brand founded in the 1980s. It now licenses its photorealistic patterns to a number of different companies.
Nike

Arriving this fall, the next Nike Calm will again feature a camouflage pattern. Only this time it will be a light snowy variant as opposed to the classic print that has become its own sort of status symbol.

A pair of slip-on clogs with a white base featuring a nature-inspired print of brown branches, green pine needles, and yellow leaves. The clogs have black ribbed footbeds and adjustable black straps around the heel.
The next Calm colorway is also camo, but seasonally tailored for fall and winter.
Nike
Pair of Nike sandals shown from the back, featuring black straps with the Nike logo embossed on the heel strap. The midsole has a white base with a nature-inspired print of branches and leaves in muted colors. The outsole is black with a textured pattern for grip.
The Calm slide comes with an adjustable back strap.
Nike

To be clear, when it comes to the fine print, Nike isn’t interpreting Realtree, a standalone brand that licenses photorealistic patterns to brands as varied as Crocs and Huckberry.

A closer look at the official photos for the upcoming mule reveal that it uses authentic Realtree, with the company detailed in the pattern itself.

Close-up of a shoe heel featuring a camouflage pattern with grass and branches, the word "REALTREE" printed on it, and a black textured strap with reinforced stitching and a leather patch embossed with "AIR." The sole is black with a ridged design.
“Realtree” is spelled out in fine print on the pattern.
Nike
Black rubber sole of a shoe with a pattern of diagonal and vertical grooves for traction. The sole has a textured edge around its perimeter.
The Calm slide comes with a grippy rubber sole.
Nike

Cool in camo

Looking back at previous releases, the upcoming Calm colorway will cap off a year that saw Nike push heavily into nature-inspired prints.

The Air Max 90 received half a dozen camo colorways, each paired with a bright neon accent. Meanwhile, the brand’s tracksuit now comes in several in-house patterns.

man in camo tracksuit
Nike has leaned heavily into camo prints, adding to both shoes and apparel.
Nike

That said, no release feels quite as natural as the quiet collaboration between Nike and Realtree. And when it comes to camo, that’s probably the right path to follow.

Look for the new colorway to drop in the coming weeks with a price of $70.

About the Author:

Jack Seemer is the executive editor at Gear Patrol, with over a decade of experience in product journalism. He currently reports on a wide range of topics, including footwear, watches, EDC, cookware and more.

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