Chomp on the ‘Chocolate’ Nike Air Force 1 Mid Retro

The Nike Air Force 1’s 40th anniversary is heating up as old favourites are unearthed from the vault and returning in impressively accurate detail. Expected in coming weeks is this ‘Chocolate’ retro of a 1998 colourway, and it’s representing the mid-cut model very well.

Before Nelly’s ‘Air Force Ones’ dropped in 2002, Nike was already busy orchestrating a renewed fervour for the model in the 90s. The ‘Chocolate’ was an all-suede edition primed for casual use, and finding a deadstock example is pretty difficult – it just goes to show how popular AF-1s have always been. So, it’s a good thing Nike are bringing them back.

The suede looks pretty lush in these pics shared by longtime collector @ervinshoes, who notes that its finish is comparable, if not on par with the OG. They also observe that the lining is ‘spot on’ to the 1998 edition. Of course, as some stricter fans will attest to, Nike will switch up a couple of details to fall short of 100 per cent accuracy. This new pair has brown contrast midsole stitching, something the original did not. Furthermore, the two-tone orange and brown box, while a thoughtful throwback to packaging from an earlier era, is actually not what the ‘Chocolate’ was packaged in.

In any case, all but a few AF-1 fans will find fault with these changes, so they’ll be copping once they land.