Air Force Ones

The Nike Air Force Ones, designed by Bruce Kilgore, debuted in 1982 and was the very first shoe that featured Nike’s “Air” technology. Named after the presidential aircraft Air Force One, the AF1 shoe was made available in three different styles; a low, mid, and high cut shoe. Contrary to today’s general casual and fashion-minded use of these sneakers, the Nike Air Force One was actually a basketball shoe. However, due to the advancement of footwear technology, you’d be pressed to find the AF1 on the NBA court. In fact, only one current NBA player, outspoken power forward Rasheed Wallace, has been known to wear the shoes on court, and has a few personal colourways to call his own. In 2007, Nike released the Nike Air Force One 25th Anniversary collection, which featured personalized Air Force One models of marquee Nike basketball endorsees from past and present like Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire, and Charles Barkley.

The Air Force Ones have had a resounding effect on the hip-hop/urban culture community. Many hip-hop artists mention the shoe in a song lyric, and St. Louis rapper Nelly took it a step further and titled one of his tracks as Air Force Ones. Consequently, Nike released a Nelly-inspired pair of Air Force Ones among other “Derrty” Nikes that were released in his name.

The Air Force One craze has a number of nicknames as well; “Forces” and “AF1” was created for name-shortening purposes, but other monikers like “Uptowns” and “Flaves” were created by region. The term “Uptown” comes from the fact that the Air Force One craze may have started in New York City, although other cities will try to claim credit. Regardless of the myriad of nicknames or abbreviations, Air Force Ones will forever remain a pillar of the sneaker-head sub-culture and of Nike history.

> Air Force 1 Release Dates

> Air Force 1 News