October 25, 2017 |
When it comes to sneaker royalty, the Nike Air Force One reigns supreme. To quote the songbook of Nelly, and his 2002 track Air Force Ones: ‘give me two pair, I need two pair, so I can get to stomping in my Air Force Ones’. Profound? Not really. But enlightening in that, ordinarily, buying two of the identical shoe would be really quite extravagant, but AF1’s buck that trend – you can never have enough.
How then, does one celebrate the 35th anniversary of such an iconic shoe? By employing some of the most innovative visionaries from around the world to realise their own unique vision. Obviously. Enter left; Don C, Kareem “Biggs” Burke, Errolson Hugh, Travis Scott and Virgil Abloh. Each of these supremely talented individuals was tasked with incorporating their own personal memories of the shoe into their design, as well as connecting it to their respective fields, all while staying true to the original all white colour way. “I looked at the making of this shoe the same way I make an album. I wanted it to tell a story of me,” said Travis Scott of his reflective design.
For Don C, sneaker aficionado and consigliere of Kanye, the shoe is akin to a blood relation. “It’s the OG, the grandfather, the one that started it all. I always feel that you have to be down with your family, because that’s who’s always going to be there for you…I just wanted to pay respect to this iconic silhouette, and make kids really appreciate what it means to stick with your family.” Take note kids. No stranger to a Nike collab, this was Virgil Abloh’s third in total, but according to the man himself, “It’s all one expression. It’s the Off-White ideology of altering product…I like to start with something established and then iterate on a process to edit it.”
The AF100 collection retails through SNKRS and key Nike retailers at the following dates:
Air Force 1 ’07 Off White: November 4th (only available at Complex Con)
Air Force 1 ’07 Roc-A-Fella: November 30th
Air Force 1 Hi Just Don: December 1st
Air Force 1 Low Travis Scott: December 2nd
Lunar Force 1/Acronym ’17: December 3rd
