World’s most popular sneakers? How Nike Air Force 1s went from the NBA to rappers’ cult kicks to being a fashion icon favourite as they turn 40
- Released in 1982, Nike’s AF1s have become one of the most recognised shoes on the planet and their popularity has seen more than 2,000 versions released
- Their iconic design has been rapped about by Jay-Z and Nelly, and today are often seen on style icons such as Victoria Beckham, Kylie Jenner and Addison Rae
Life begins at 40, they say, and if that is true for the Nike Air Force 1 (AF1) then the shoe is set to dominate even more than it has done over the past four decades.
Since its initial release in 1982, the Air Force 1 has become one of the most recognised shoe designs on the planet, a favourite with everyone from fashion lovers to felons and a bestseller for Nike year after year – it was the top-selling athletic footwear in dollars among all brands in the US in 2020, according to market research company The NPD Group.
There have been reports of Nike limiting customer purchases of the shoes, which have long been the staple of flippers – people who buy shoes to resell later.
Whether it’s the all-white or all-black versions, or the numerous varieties spawned via high-profile collaborations between Nike and designers or other companies, the shoe has been a canvas – there have been more than 2,000 versions released.
“A cultural symbol in its own right, today the Nike Air Force 1 serves as an objet d’art emblematic of self-generated subcultural provenance,” the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2022 show notes said (Abloh served as Louis Vuitton’s men’s artistic director until his death in November 2021).
