Nike Air Monarch IV

Sizing

Nike says it fits small and recommends ordering half a size up.

About

The Nike Air Monarch IV is the shoe that made the dad shoe a category. Nike built the Monarch line for everyday wear after it saw older male buyers drifting to other brands, and its designers visited theme parks to watch those men and ask what they wanted. Dave Schechter, who worked on the Monarch merchandising team, described it as Nike's version of a fries and soda type of shoe. The first Monarch sold well enough that Nike decided to update it in 2003, and the line passed through a second version designed by Jason Mayden before the fourth arrived with perforations and design changes meant to make it look faster. The build has barely changed since: a durable leather upper for support, lightweight foam paired with Nike Air cushioning and a solid rubber outsole. Its popularity with fathers earned it the dad shoe nickname, and from around 2013 social media turned that joke into a fashion moment. By 2016 the Monarch was reported as Nike's best selling model, moving over two million pairs in that year alone. Nike notes that it fits small and recommends ordering half a size up.