Matt Varga It was one of the more surprising announcements in 2023 when news broke that a Nigo-Nike collaboration was in the works. Though the Japanese designer departed BAPE more than a decade, a label he was synonymous with during its peak influence, at one time most sneakerheads would’ve bet a link-up was nigh impossible. News on that front has been slow since that story broke, but it would appear the long-anticipated collab is beginning to take shape; @stevenvictor dropped our first look at an upcoming collab Air Force III.
A rarely seen shoe, the Nike Air Force III is the silhouette of choice, still presenting the same unabashed retro basketball stylings it presented in its original run. The colorway is perhaps the more noticeable piece, a smattering of pastel tones hitting an early 2000s nail on the head. Carrying a yellow vamp panel, green eye-stays and a bright red Swoosh & mudguard, the guiding colors on this pair lean towards the “Rasta” stylings that so frequently hit models in the start of the century.
While the structure of Nigo’s Air Force III appears unchanged, he does add a brand new tongue logo akin to the crest, replacing the oversized FORCE lettering that appears in standard pairs.
As of this update coming from Paris Fashion Week, there has yet to be an firm details surrounding the debut release of this partnership decades in the making.
