To celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Air Force 1, Nike has collaborated with Virgil Abloh, Don C, Roc-A-Fella, Acronym and Travis Scott in celebration of the shoe’s defining colourway, white-white.
Dubbed the “AF100,” the Swoosh selected collaborators who are impacting future generations across culture. Their brief was filtered through the white-white lens. The design brief was to remain classic and recognizable to the Air Force 1 while connecting to each collaborator’s life personally and the fields they represent.
Take a closer look below, also read what they envisioned and how, together with Nike, they brought it to life:
AIR FORCE 1 ’07 OFF WHITE BY VIRGIL ABLOH: November 4 (was only available at Complex Con)
“It’s all one expression. It’s the Off-White ideology of altering the product. That’s my brand and my way of making things. I like to start with something established and then iterate on a process to edit it.
What I love about the three Air Force 1s I’ve worked on with Nike, so far, they encompass one idea executed in three different ways. With this one, the colourway is important. The Air Force 1 isn’t iconic in just any colour, they’re iconic in one: white. White is the theme for this third Air Force 1, looking at the cultural context of the white on white — editing it, but not editing it too far to where it becomes something else.”
AIR FORCE 1 HI JUST DON BY DON “DON C” CRAWLEY: December 1
WHERE TO BUY: Shelflife (Joburg & Cape Town) in-store live raffle.
PRICE: R2999.00
“I knew I wanted to use premium leather and to mix the best quality of material and fabrics, and we did just that. There were details from the Air Force 2 and Air Force 3 that I wanted to bring into the shoe, and I appreciate Nike giving me the freedom to push the limits there.
We’re talking about the Air Force 1. 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. Family doesn’t always mean blood, but you have to keep them close and respect the ones who are looking out for you. I just wanted to pay respect to this iconic silhouette, and make sure kids really appreciate what it means to stick with your family.”
AIR FORCE 1 ’07 ROC-A-FELLA: November 30
WHERE TO BUY:
Shesha (Sandton) – R22999.99
Shelflife (Joburg & Cape Town) in-store live raffle – R2299.00
“It was great timing for us to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Air Force 1, because we just finished celebrating 20 years of Roc-A-Fella. If you think about Roc-A-Fella, you think about the logo. If you think about sneakers, you think about Air Force 1s. To have our logo on the Air Force 1, is very special to us. Air Force 1s are true to Roc-A-Fella.
The Roc-A-Fella logo means something to all of us. We wear it on our heart. It’s more than just a symbol, it’s about the belief system behind it. It’s loyalty, integrity, relationships, friendships; it’s the brotherhood behind the logo.”
LUNAR FORCE 1/ACRONYM ‘17: December 5
WHERE TO BUY: Shelflife (Joburg & Cape Town) in-store live raffle.
PRICE: R2799.00
“At the beginning, when we first were approached by Nike to look at the Lunar Force 1, the first thing we asked ourselves was, ‘Why should we do this? What could we possibly bring to the table that Nike doesn’t already know how to do?’
In the end, we decided to approach it just like we approach the apparel, which means: Look at a problem, or look at an aspect of the functionality, and see if there’s a way we can improve it.”
AIR FORCE 1 LOW TRAVIS SCOTT: December 8
WHERE TO BUY: Shelflife (Joburg & Cape Town) in-store live raffle.
PRICE: R2299
“I looked at the making of this shoe the same way I make an album. I wanted it to tell a story about me. I set the tone to go crazy at my shows. I’m the acid of rap.”
images by Nike
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