The Air Force 1 is an ultimate iconic classic, with its timeless design and versatility, furthermore the massive influence it has had on pop culture, with its popular white on white design suitable for a hot summer’s day, or the black-on-black colourway suitable for aggravated assault. The Air Force 1 is an must have essential for sneakerheads and sneaker enthusiasts.
In this edition of CrepTalk, we dive into the rich history of the Air Force 1 and how one of the all-time greatest sneakers may have never been released but thanks to a small town in Baltimore the sneaker lives on, and why the Air Force 1 should be considered one of the all-time greats of sneakers.
Originally a basketball performance sneaker designed by Bruce Kilgore in 1982, which was his first attempt (call that beginners luck) drawing ideas straight from the Nike Approach hiking boot and was in fact the first basketball shoe that had featured a pocket filled with air in the heel for cushioning and support. As back in the late 70’s and early 80’s basketball ‘performance’ sneakers did not feature an air sole unit, but rather a lightweight hard sole which gave players a low minimal feel, but also had a slightly higher risk of injury due to lack of cushioning being absorbed. With the lack of cushioning basketball sneakers had back then, players commonly wore 2-3 pairs of socks for both comfort and cushioning.
Besides the revolutionary air unit, the Nike Air Force 1 had a number of innovative features, as it was the first basketball sneaker to include a cup sole making the shoes durability unmatched to its competitors, whilst still making it playable and comfortable for athletes. With such a revolutionary basketball shoe, and Nike being fairly new in the basketball game, the Air Force 1 gave Nike the perfect opportunity to compete in such a tough industry.
Nike ensured the shoe was to launch in style as it signed six dominant NBA players to debut and wear the Nike Air Force 1 on the NBA hardwood, the ‘Original Six’. The Air Force 1 was only launched in high top form as the low cut all white classics would hit stores a decade after.
By the mid 1992 the iconic white on white Air Force 1 low was released and had become a cultural icon within Hip Hop as rappers such as Jay Z, Cam’ron and Nelly were seen to be sporting the sneaker, this pushed the sneaker from a sports performance icon to now a fashion trend as there have been endless Collab's and customs thanks to its clean white on white look.
With the Air Force 1 still having success across the world, and a plethora of colourways released, it can be stated that the Air Force 1 is one of the greatest Sneakers of all time, as not many sneakers can be versatile and survive the test of time.
The Air Force 1 to me was that first shoe I personally wanted especially growing up in London seeing everyone wearing Air max 95's and Force 1’s, so having them in your rotation was the thing, especially in secondary school, wearing them with school uniform was a clean fit, particularly if the uniform was primarily black. Cannot lie though, the guys that wore them with school uniform were the type to just start fights for no reason or because they were simply bored, literally unprovoked too, it could be a Monday morning and them man were already active for no reason or for something that happened last month during that one lunch time. I wore Wallabies, so I wasn't like that, but I digress. The design itself just got me sold on sneakers and being young trying to cop a pair by myself wasn't necessarily easy, but getting my first pair from my older brother will always serve as a memory because it serves as a beginning of becoming a sneaker enthusiast, and learning about various sneakers and their unique history, then I picked up basketball and it was a wrap, diving deeper within sneaker culture.
Comment down below which colourway is your favourite. I personally like the black-on-black pair, fits my personality, and I think its very versatile, whether your planning a move with your boys or at a court hearing its a versatile sneaker.
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