NIKE AIR FORCE 1, A TIMELESS CLASSIC
The Nike Air Force 1 is undoubtedly the most emblematic silhouette of Nike. This model is one of the first to use the soles equipped with the system of cushioning Nike AIR, still unpublished and revolutionary at the time of its release. It was the first basketballshoe with this technology. Created by Bruce Kilgore in 1982, this pair is a clever mix of sobriety and technicality. With its pristine white design, contrasted by a swoosh and a gray strap for the mid and high versions, its outsole is dressed in light gray tones. Legend has it that its style is inspired by the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. Its name is a direct reference to the American presidential plane. The Air Force 1 has a special history that makes it one of the most iconic models of sneakers. Nike unveils the model and democratizes it in the 80s by associating it with the greatest basketball players of the time.
But after only two years on the market and an immediate success, the American equipment manufacturer decided to withdraw the famous pair from the market! This created a wave of demand. Desperate young people in the neighbourhoods tried to revive their old pairs... Shoe shop managers, noticing the high demand, started to put pressure on the American manufacturer to bring back copies of the much loved model. The brand with the Swoosh finally agreed, provided that orders were substantial. The pairs sold out at an incredible rate, creating a unique connection between the Air Force 1 and the youth of the streets.
A PAIR OF TRAINERS INFLUENCED BY STREETWEAR AND HIP-HOP
With the rise of street and hip-hop culture in the 1990s and 2000s, the popularity of the pair exploded.
It was the street culture and the explosion of rap music in the 90s that completely propelled the pair to classic status. It was on the feet of the most influential rappers such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, creator of the unmissable Yeezy or Damon Dash who went crazy about them. For the anecdote, the rapper Nelly fell in love with the model and to testify to his love, he dedicated a song in homage to the model entitled " Air Force Ones". Similarly T.I, a rapper from Atlanta, released a song called " My Air Forces ". In a recent report by Thibaut de Longeville on the Nike SNKRS app, T.I even went so far as to say that "he wouldn't wear another model for anything in the world.
In the following years, the model will even cross the Atlantic and establish itself in Europe, with London as the capital and its new rappers who will allow the model and its values to spread throughout the continent. Nowadays, the model is used on many occasions, as recently with the Off-White Blackversion, the Air Force 1 continues to write its history and confirms its iconic status!
ICONIC AIR FORCE ONE COLLABORATIONS: OFF-WHITETRAVIS SCOTT, CLOT, PEACEMINUSONE
Nike Air Force 1 Low
As always Nike Travis Scott places a lot of importance on the history and the world of his shoes. Released at $62.95 in 1983, one year after the launch of the High, it quickly became an iconic product of Hip-Hop culture. Nicknamed the"Uptown" in the streets of New York, it quickly became an icon of the city's working class neighbourhoods due to its accessibility. In 1984, two years after its release, Nike planned to stop production of the AF1, but thanks to enthusiastic Baltimorefans and the "Color of the Month Club", a local retail group, the AF1 survived. Thus, the American firm gives the opportunity to artists, sportsmen, designers who grew up with the silhouette to rethink models. Each collaboration is a real atmosphere, the art of the designer is sublimated. Over the years, emblematic collaborations have been created. As part of his collection The Tencollection, the late Virgil Abloh, artistic director of the Men's collections for Louis Vuitton, put his signature on 10 emblematic models from the Swoosh brand to create the Nike Off White. Among them, the Nike Air Force 1 Off-White . Playing on innovative materials such as transparent fabric,Virgil Abloh The new model brings an unstructured dimension with a swoosh and a zig zag seam. Available in 3 colours, White, Black and Volt, this sneaker is a must have for fans of sneakers. The most influential rapper on the planet, Travis Scott has also been able to revisit the Nike Air Force 1. After working on two AF1s in canvas White and Sail with interchangeable swoosh, the Flame offered us a beautiful Nike AF1 Fossil. Playing on material inserts and patterns reminiscent of its universe, this sneaker has thrilled basketball fans with its box stuffed with its details. A pair that once again sold out very quickly like all those in the collection. Nike Travis Scott. We can also mention the Hong Kong label of Edison Chen, Clot who offered us 4 colorways of his Nike Air Force 1 Clot with white, blue, black and recently pink. Featuring a satin upper, embroidered with the brand's motif, this sneakers The shoe features a print applied directly to the pair that is revealed once the fabric is removed. Extremely limited, this collaboration has marked the year 2019. Finally we can also talk about the Nike Air Force 1 Peacemisunone in collaboration with the Korean artist G-DRAGON. The K-pop singer revisits the classic in his own way with a floral print hidden under the uppers of Black and White. This original and surprising edition has managed to create a lot of buzz and has converted many people to Korean fashion. Nike never ceases to dazzle us with its collaborations and has succeeded in establishing the Nike Air Force One as the timeless classic.
Nike Air Force 1 Mid
It was not until 1994 that Nike introduced a new iteration, the Air Force One Mid. The design is considered a hybrid between the High and the Low with a mid-collar that covers the bottom of the ankle. It was unveiled in the Nike ad "City Attack"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, dubbed NYC is centered around the different activities present in the multiple neighborhoods of New York. The slogan was accompanied by a slew of new products 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 will introduce the NYC Logo. The latter will be reissued in 2021. A real success on television, its influence will even go beyond the Atlantic and will come to seduce the European public in 1994 thanks to Foot Locker, which is established in Paris and London. It was thanks to the Air Force One Mid that Europe was introduced to the silhouette, more than ten years after its creation. The trainers were so popular that in 1997, a "Independence Day"is born. Inspired by the "4th of July", the American bank holidays celebrating the independence of the United States, it will be reissued in 2022 alongside the Air Force 1 Mid "Ale Brown. The American equipment manufacturer has notably called on various designers to collaborate on its Mid model. The most emblematic is undoubtedly Riccardo TisciHe is the former artistic director of Givenchy and the current CEO of Burberry. In 2014, he offered us his collection "Nike + RT"which revisited 4 versions of Air Force One in a luxury angle for men and women.
Nike Air Force 1 High
It was the first model to be unveiled in 1982 and was priced at $80. Its name is inspired by the famous plane used by the President of the United States and echoes the AIR technology hidden under the insole which will provide better cushioning for the players of basketball. This air bubble was a real innovation for its time. It made its mark thanks to Nike's desire to make people believe that with this model, trainer lovers would be able to spectacular jumps. To promote the shoes, the Swoosh brand calls on six NBA players for the Air Force One campaign: Moses Malone, Michael Cooper, Jamaal Wilkes, Bobby Jones, Mychal Thompson, and Calvin Natt. Initially, Nike only wanted to run the model for two years and move on, but the shoe was so successful that three shop managers from Baltimore beg the equipment manufacturer to provide them with AF1 in view of the cultural impact and the demand from aficionados. The Beaverton-based firm then imposed a minimum of 1,200 pairs sold for the three shops: 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 made the trip to Baltimore to get the trainers in the pack. Color of the Month.The three managers of the iconic shops have been dubbed the "TheThree Amigos".
Today, it is through the vision of Matthew Williams, artistic director of Givenchy, that the model has been revived. His label Alyx Studio has collaborated with Nike to offer us four Air Force One High with premium full-grain leather whose Red and the Black. For its 40th anniversary in 2022, the retro silhouette is given a new lease of life with the Air Force One High Sculpt, which uses the shoe's codes but without the iconic OG of the shoe but without the iconic ankle strap. It is available in the colours White Silver and Gym Red.
Nike Air Force 1 Flyknit
In 2012, Nike introduced Flyknit technology,a material composed of strong, lightweight yarns that have been woven into an upper, providing a secure fit for the athlete's foot on the shoe's platform. It uses ultra-strong fibres to create lightweight structures that offer areas of support, elasticity and breathability like the Nike Flyknit Racer. It wasn't until 2015 and the legendary Kobe Bryant that we saw the first Nike Air Force 1 Flyknit model worn by the iconic Los Angeles Lakers player in his mythical Triple White colorway during a trip to China. Unprecedented hype over Bruce Kilgore's revamped design ensued. Released in 2016, it is available in several emblematic colours from the Swoosh brand such as Multi-Color, Bred and Oreo. It will be sold at a price of $110 for the Low versions and $175 for the High versions.
A basket that is equally popular with women and men.
Although the essence of the model comes from famous male icons in sports and music, the shoe was quickly adopted by women and the Nike teams understood this. The Triple White is now a staple in many women's wardrobes and is proving to be a unisex sneaker. To meet the high demand from female trainer lovers, the Swoosh brand will offer a multitude of revisited versions of the iconic model with ranges specially created for women such as the Air Force 1 Shadow and the Air Force 1 Pixel. Feminine and colourful, these special models offer a trendy take on the retro model. From pastel colours to decorative jewellery, everything is designed to meet the expectations of female sneakerheads!