Nike Highlight the Air Force 1’s Hidden ‘Pivot Point’ Feature

The Nike Air Force 1 may seem relatively rudimentary when compared to the teched-out sneakers of today but, almost 40 years ago, it was the cutting edge of basketball shoes. One of the features that enabled the AF-1’s on-court prowess is its ‘Pivot Point’ located on the heel and forefoot ball on the outsole, allowing swift turning movements. Given it spends most of its time smacking the ground and out of sight, it’s one of the lesser appreciated aspects of the AF-1 – until now, that is. Nike have highlighted this hidden feature on the side Swooshes of this pair, combined with some high-visibility accents on the upper.

At a distance, these sneakers almost look like the Uptowns that Ice Cube wore in Friday. However, closer vision reveals more subtle details among the grainy black leather upper. The white Swoosh and heel tabs are actually reflective, and are stamped with a texture replicating the ‘Pivot Point’ found on the outsole. That’s not all: ‘Volt’ tongue labels and extra-long heel pull tabs add more visibility to the design.