Sneaker News Nike Sportswear took a different approach to ComplexCon this year. While recent editions have seen Nike go all-in on massive booths and standalone brand activations, 2026 saw the Swoosh operate more like an incubator for its next wave of creative partners.
That included Lil Yachty, still relatively early into his Air Force 1 partnership; Jae Tips, who debuted his Air Bakin Low ahead of its Spring 2027 release; and Taller de Rafa, whose surprising Air Max Goadome Low collaboration generated an unexpected response. Nike extended that strategy through Homerun, LAAMS, Circulate, Supervsn, Savior Worldwide, and Badfriend, each receiving customized white Air Force 1s featuring subtle branding at the heel and tongue. They aren’t quite traditional collaborations, but instead another way for Nike to put its platform behind emerging creative communities.
The weekend ultimately served as a reminder of just how much gravitational pull Nike still possesses within sneaker culture. Nike doesn’t necessarily need ComplexCon to create moments like these; it can build the stage itself. With that in mind, we’d love to see the Swoosh eventually revisit the spirit of 2016’s Air Max Con and once again create an independent festival entirely on its own terms.
The below article was originally published on October 2nd, 2026, prior to ComplexCon.
The Nike Air Force 1 is simply the sneaker of ComplexCon 2026, led by the much-discussed Victor Victor x Nike Air Force 1 ’01 collection and supplemented by a number of customs from a newer class that might just contain the next big Nike collaborator, with Jae Tips, Circulate, Badfriend, LAAMS/Stash, and Homerun NYC are all lending their names to the model’s iconic “Triple White” makeup.
We won’t disrespect the work that goes into true sneaker collaborations, including those from some of the names listed here, by pretending these releases are deeply inspired, fully fleshed-out projects. What they do feel like, however, is a series of mini experiments: a chance to see which names and generate the most attention, and perhaps a glimpse at where Nike should concentrate its collaborative efforts on the Air Force 1 moving forward.
-
- Savior by Jae Tips
-
- Circulate
-
- Badfriend
-
- LAAMS/Stash
-
- Homerun NYC
The Jae Tips, Circulate, and Homerun NYC pairs are bare bones “Triple White” builds with custom tongue tags and branding on the lateral side of the heel, cut from the same cloth as Supreme’s popular yet undeniably plain all-white AF1. Badfriend is dropping “Triple White” and “Triple Black” versions with branding in those same areas, while LAAMS and Stash are offering customs spray painted on site by Stash himself.
The AF1’s ComplexCon takeover comes just after Nike announced that the model has returned to a stable, full-price business. Beaverton had previously gone overboard with too many releases, but has since cut back and balanced quality with quantity: applaudable seasonal styles, 2000s-inspired looks spearheaded by Frank Cooke, the return of the ’01 cut itself, and much, much more.
This round of all-white collabs might not be exciting by comparison, but it could prove useful as Beaverton decides where to move forward with intention. Catch ’em all at ComplexCon this weekend in Los Angeles, running October 3rd and 4th. See below for where to find each pair and tap the following link to view more ComplexCon sneaker releases.
Savior by Jae Tips – Booth E15
Circulate – Booth G27
Badfriend – Booth F33
LAAMS/Stash – Booth J19
Homerun NYC – Booth E39
See more Sneaker News in your Google results,
ADD TO PREFERRED SOURCES
Love Sneaker News? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our stories in your search results. It only takes a click.
