Nike Add a Subtle Shine to the Air Force 1
As the approaches its 40th birthday, keep finding new ways to switch it up. Some experiments are more successful than others and, generally speaking, the more minimal the changes are, the better the outcome tends to be. Such as this upcoming colourway that looks like almost nothing has changed – until the lights shine.
Check out that mid panel. At a distance, it looks like Nike have swapped the AF-1’s mid panel for mesh – hardly a ground-breaking change, and something they’ve done on the shoe before. However, it’s actually hundreds of fine reflective dots, creating a striking speckled finish when light hits this panel in the right angles. This shiny texture is also added to the heel tab and through the middle of the shoelaces, continuing a long-standing appearance of the bright stuff on the Uptown.
Elsewhere is a clean AF-1, based on a white-grey leather upper, with some black hits and highlighter orange accents to tie it all together. Other deviations from standard releases include the open net-style mesh used on the tongue instead of leather. It’s a little detail, but it goes a long way for all-day comfort.
Expect these AF-1s to shine at Nike retailers later this year.