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Nike Air Force 1
NIKE AIR FORCE 1, A TIMELESS CLASSIC
The Nike Air Force 1 is without a doubt the most iconic silhouette from Nike. This model was one of the first to use soles equipped with the Nike AIR cushioning system, still brand new and revolutionary at the time of its release. It was also the first shoe from basketball to feature this technology. Created by Bruce Kilgore in 1982, this pair is a clever blend of understated style and technical innovation. With its immaculate white design, contrasted by a grey swoosh and strap on the mid and high versions, its outsole is dressed in light grey tones. Legend has it that its design was inspired by Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Its name, meanwhile, is a direct reference to the American presidential aircraft. The Air Force 1 has a unique history that makes it one of the most iconic models from sneakers. Nike unveiled the model and popularized it in the 1980s by associating it with the greatest basketball players of the era.
But after only two years on the market and immediate success, the American sportswear brand decided to pull the famous pair from the market! This created a real wave of demand. Desperate kids from the neighborhoods tried, not without difficulty, to bring their old pairs back to life… So shoe store owners, seeing the strong demand, began putting pressure on the American sportswear brand to release more pairs of the highly sought-after model. The brand with the swoosh eventually agreed on the condition that orders be substantial. The pairs sold at an incredible pace, creating a unique connection between the Air Force 1 and kids from the streets.
A SNEAKER INFLUENCED BY STREETWEAR AND HIP-HOP
With the rise of street and hip-hop culture in the 1990s and 2000s, the popularity of this pair completely exploded.
It was indeed street culture and the explosion of rap in the 1990s that fully propelled the pair to classic status. It ended up on the feet of the most influential rappers such as Jay-Z and Kanye West, creator of the essential Yeezy label, as well as Damon Dash, who became obsessed with it. As a fun fact, rapper Nelly fell in love with the model and, to show his love, dedicated a song to it entitled “Air Force Ones”. Likewise, T.I, the Atlanta rapper, gave us a track called “My Air Forces”. In the documentary by Thibaut de Longeville recently released on the Nike SNKRS app, T.I even went so far as to say that “he wouldn’t wear any other model in the world.”
In the following years, the model would even cross the Atlantic and establish itself in Europe, with London in particular as its capital and its new rappers helping spread the model and its values across the continent. Now released for many different occasions, most recently with the Off-White Black version, the Air Force 1 continues to write its story and confirms its iconic status!
ICONIC AIR FORCE ONE COLLABORATIONS: OFF-WHITE, TRAVIS SCOTT, CLOT, PEACEMINUSONE
Nike Air Force 1 Low
As always, Nike places great importance on the history and world of its footwear. Released at $62.95 in 1983, one year after the launch of the High, it quickly became an emblematic product of Hip-Hop culture. Nicknamed the "Uptown" on the streets of New York, it quickly became an icon in the city's working-class neighborhoods thanks to its accessibility. In 1984, two years after its release, Nike planned to stop production of the AF1, but thanks to enthusiastic fans in Baltimore and the "Color of the Month Club," a group of local retailers, the AF1 survived. As a result, the American brand gave artists, athletes, and designers who grew up with the silhouette the opportunity to rethink the model. Every collaboration has a real vibe, with the creator's artistry elevated. Over the years, several iconic collaborations have come to life. As part of his The Ten collection, the late Virgil Abloh, artistic director of the men's collections at Louis Vuitton, left his mark on 10 iconic the Swoosh brand models to create the Nike Off White range. Among them, the Nike Air Force 1 Off-White. Playing with innovative materials such as transparent fabric, Virgil Abloh brings a deconstructed dimension with a swoosh and its zigzag stitching. Released in 3 colorways, White, Black and Volt, this sneaker is a highly sought-after must-have for fans of sneakers. The most influential rapper on the planet, Travis Scott, has also reworked the Nike Air Force 1 on 3 occasions. After working on two AF1s in canvas White and Sail with interchangeable swooshes, the Flame gave us a magnificent Nike AF1 Fossil. Playing with layered materials and patterns recalling his universe, this sneaker thrilled sneaker enthusiasts with its box packed with details. A pair that once again sold out very quickly, like all those in the Nike Travis Scott . We can also mention Hong Kong label Edison Chen's, Clot, which offered us 4 colorways of its Nike Air Force 1 Clot in white, blue, black and, more recently, rose. Featuring a satin upper embroidered with the brand's pattern, this sneakers is made up of a print applied directly to the pair, revealed once the fabric is removed. Extremely limited, this collaboration made its mark on 2019. Finally, we can also talk about the Nike Air Force 1 Peaceminusone in collaboration with Korean artist G-DRAGON. The K-pop singer reworks the classic in his own way with a floral print hidden beneath the uppers of the Black and White. colorways. This original and surprising edition generated a lot of buzz and converted many people to Korean fashion. Nike keeps dazzling us with its collaborations and has succeeded in establishing the Nike Air Force One as the timeless classic model.
Nike Air Force 1 Mid
It wasn't until 1994 that Nike introduced a new iteration, the Air Force One Mid. In terms of design, it is considered a hybrid model and sits between the High and the Low with its mid-cut collar that covers the lower ankle. It was unveiled during the Nike "City Attack" campaign, which highlighted the different branches of urban culture, notably embodied by Bobbito Garcia, DJ and streetball player who recently collaborated on an NFT shoe. The entire campaign nicknamed NYC is centered around the different activities found in New York's many neighborhoods. The slogan was accompanied by a string of new releases from the Beaverton brand such as the Jewel Swoosh, the Dunk Low "Flip The Old School" or the Nike Air Force 1 Mid Jewel which would introduce the NYC Logo. The latter was also reissued in 2021. A real success on television, its influence even crossed the Atlantic and won over the European public in 1994 thanks to Foot Locker setting up in Paris and London. It was thanks to the Air Force One Mid that Europe discovered the silhouette, more than ten years after its creation. The sneakers were so popular that in 1997, an "Independence Day" edition was released. Inspired by the "4th of July," the American national holiday celebrating the independence of the United States, it was reissued during 2022 alongside the Air Force 1 Mid "Ale Brown". The American sportswear brand notably called on various creators to collaborate on its Mid model. The most iconic is undoubtedly Riccardo Tisci, former artistic director of Givenchy and current C.D. of Burberry. In 2014, he gave us his "Nike + RT" collection, which revisited 4 versions of Air Force One from a luxury angle for men and women.
Nike Air Force 1 High
It is the first model to have been unveiled in 1982 and was retailing for $80. Its name is inspired by the famous aircraft used by the President of the United States and refers to the AIR technology hidden beneath the insole, which provided better cushioning for basketball players . This air bubble was a true innovation for its time. It made a lasting impression thanks to Nike's desire to make people believe that with this model, sneaker enthusiasts would be capable of spectacular jumps. To promote the shoes, the Swoosh brand called on six NBA players for the campaign around the Air Force One: Moses Malone, Michael Cooper, Jamaal Wilkes, Bobby Jones, Mychal Thompson, and Calvin Natt. Initially, Nike only wanted to market the model for two years and then move on, but the shoe was such a success that three store owners from Baltimore begged the brand to supply them with AF1s given the cultural impact and demand from fans. That was when the Beaverton firm set a minimum of 1,200 pairs sold for the three stores: Downtown Locker Room, Cinderella Shoes, and Charley Rudo's Sports. The men's and women's shoes sold like hotcakes, and AF1 fans from all over the United States traveled to Baltimore to get the sneakers from the Color of the Month pack. The three managers of these iconic shops were also nicknamed the "Three Amigos."
Today, it is through the vision of Matthew Williams, artistic director of the Givenchy house, that the model is experiencing a revival. His label Alyx Studio collaborated with Nike to bring us four Air Force One High pairs featuring premium full-grain leather, including the Red and the Black. For its 40th anniversary in 2022, the retro silhouette was updated with the Air Force One High Sculpt, which reprises the OG design codes of the shoe but without its iconic ankle strap. It comes in the White Silver and Gym Red colorways.
Nike Air Force 1 Flyknit
In 2012, Nike launched Flyknit technology, a material made of strong, lightweight yarns woven into an upper, providing good foot support for the athlete on the shoe's platform. It uses ultra-durable fibers to create lightweight structures offering support, stretch, and breathability zones, as seen on the Nike Flyknit Racer. It wasn't until 2015 and the legendary Kobe Bryant that the first Nike Air Force 1 Flyknit model was seen, worn by the iconic Los Angeles Lakers player in his legendary Triple White colorway during a trip to China. This was followed by unprecedented hype around Bruce Kilgore's reworked design. Released in 2016, it came in several iconic the Swoosh brand colorways such as Multi-Color, Bred, and Oreo. It was sold at a price of $110 for the Low versions and $175 for the High versions.
A sneaker appreciated just as much by women as by men.
Although the essence of the model comes from famous male icons in sports or music, the shoe was quickly adopted by women, and the teams at Nike understood this well. The Triple White model is now a staple in many women's wardrobes and has proven itself to be a unisex sneaker. To meet the strong demand from women sneaker lovers, the Swoosh brand will offer a multitude of reimagined versions of the iconic model with ranges specially created for women such as the Air Force 1 Shadow collection and the Air Force 1 Pixel collection. Feminine and colorful, these special styles give the retro model a trendy look. From pastel colorways to decorative jewelry details, everything is designed to satisfy the expectations of female sneakerheads!
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