Fifteen years on from the riotous-yet-tight burst of techicolour guitar pop and Hawaiian asides that was Last Splash, and eight after the somewhat drab follow up Title TK, fans of The Breeders were probably hoping that the band’s fourth album – Mountain Battles, released in 2008 – would be closer to the former than the latter. And while not quite the slog that it’s immediate predecessor proved to be, listeners holding out for a companion piece to the shimmering, off-beat, loud-quiet surf punk that the band’s central pillar Ms Kim Deal was then showcasing with her other outfit, the reformed Pixies, were left disappointed.

This isn’t to say that listening to Mountain Battles today, which in hindsight actually turns out to be a fairly solid piece, is in any way comparable to actual battles on mountains. Combat missions over alpine terrain are notoriously challenging in that, as well as contending with people shooting at you, you’ve got the mountain itself to grapple with, too. Indeed, it certainly puts even plodding through the just-under-40-minute duration of Title TK into perspective.

So, then, you’d imagine an infantry unit trained expressly to deal with high-altitude engagement – and, in fact, the only US military division of its size set up for this role – to be as tough as old boots. And sure enough, the 10th Mountain Division proved pivotal not just in the Allied push up through Italy into Austria during the tail-end of WWII, but more recently in advising and assisting Iraqi Security Forces, as well as repeatedly deployed for disaster relief efforts.

Nike co-founder Mr Bill Bowerman was among the original members of the division, serving alongside future Republican senator and presidential candidate Mr Bob Dole and figure skater Mr Skippy Baxter. Initially, Mr Bowerman’s role involved organising supplies for the troops, which were carried up the precarious slopes by mules, but he soon climbed himself to the rank of major. He went on to play a crucial part in negotiating the stand-down of German troops near the Brenner Pass, on the Austrian border, days before Germany’s surrender in Italy.

Mr Bowerman’s efforts are recognised in Nike’s 10th Collection, which pays tribute to his heroics. The new React Sertu sneaker, which – finally – we’re here to talk about, plays with the utility and innovation that marked military equipment issued during WWII. And, rather than being tough as old boots, the React technology integrated into the sole provides comfort with enhanced traction for tricky topography. But, unlike other items across the range, this particular shoe – or at least this incarnation of it – should be noted for its vibrant, multicoloured woven upper.

Indeed, it’s a shoe that’s as bright and bouncy as 1993’s Last Splash, and, in remembering Mr Bowerman’s tour of duty, less forgettable than Title TK.