Thinking Of Others, A Nike Air Force 1 At A Time

“Whenever you spotted people in Boston wearing Forces, you thought they were in the know,” she said during a conversation through Zoom earlier this month. “You were fly if you had an all-white pair. You can do so much with it.” Tavares’ own back-to-school look often consisted of a side pony tail, plain t-shirt, ripped jeans and pair of “white-on-whites.”
 
Currently living in the Bronx (with an impending move to Portland, Ore.), Tavares collects old and new pairs of all-white Forces, donating them to those in need. Largely operating as a one-woman team, Tavares’ charitable endeavors are carried out through Other 1s, a foundation she established in October 2020. The Dorchester-native had participated in community service before, but it wasn’t until, in the face of COVID-19, she saw a video posted to Instagram of Dr. Dre’s personal closet that she decided to focus on her latest project.
 
“I [wondered] how many people [had] this situation,” Tavares said.

The “situation” she referred to is that of owning a new pair of “Uptowns” – as they’re commonly called in New York City – for every day of the year. Yes. 365 (or 366) different pairs of the same sneaker with a lifespan of at most 24 hours. While the approach might seem obnoxious, gluttonous and financially irresponsible, to some, it’s the only acceptable way to wear the Nikes.
 
Dubbed the “one-and-done,” the habit was brought to mainstream consciousness by influential figures to emerge from NYC’s hip-hop scene between the late 1980s and early 2000s. DJ Clark Kent, Damon Dash, JAY-Z, Fat Joe and Jim Jones have all tied a crisp new pair of white Air Force 1s to being “fresh.” Their high-visibility and success helped validate a “pristine-or-nothing” expectation within the sneaker space, much to Tavares’ delight as it’s meant most of the pairs she’s collected for donation haven’t required too much cleaning.
 
“No Air Force 1 is off-limits,” she proclaimed when asked about what she accepts.

For her next visit, the Cape Verdean-American would love to visit individual neighborhoods across the country’s 10 islands, as she believes dozens of people shied away from attending her event in July over shame, timing constraints and financial hurdles.
 
“If you can’t afford things, it’s unlikely you go out for help,” Tavares expressed.
 
To celebrate Other 1s’ first anniversary, Tavares plans to donate current stock to organizations and centers in the greater Boston area by the end of October. Donation bins are currently set up at Sneak Boston in Roxbury, Banks & Broncos in Brockton and Laa Tiendaa in Malden. The Private Shop in White Plains, N.Y. is the latest locale accepting donations. Ultimately, Tavares would love to establish bins in more shops across the country, working with like-minded locals to manage them. She also aspires to develop networks in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, two countries with large diasporas in Boston.
 
A big proponent of speaking things into existence, the Other 1s-founder would love to work with retailers and the likes of Dr. Dre on establishing a stable funnel of donations. And if these partnerships could be announced at a Nelly-headlining concert in St. Louis, that would be all the better.
 

“I want people to think about other people; I just did it through Air Forces.”
 
 
To stay up-to-date with Other 1s Foundation, follow it on Instagram via @other.1s. To participate in the organization’s efforts, visit the “Donate” section of other1sfoundation.org.