Air Force 1 (shoe)

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The Air Force 1 is a basketball shoe from the sporting goods manufacturer Nike . It was launched in 1982 and was best known as a street style shoe in the hip-hop scene. In total, over 1,800 models in countless different color and material combinations have been developed over the past 38 years.

Origin / history

In 1979 Nike launched its first running shoe with Air technology, the Tailwind . Here, a layer filled with an inert gas mixture (not just air, as is often wrongly assumed) was integrated into the sole of the shoes in order to reduce the stress caused by running. After this technology proved itself, Nike began to adapt the shoe design to the specific needs of other sports. Basketball offered itself here due to its high popularity combined with the enormous physical stress caused by the athletes when jumping.

In 1982 the Air Force 1 came on the market. It was the first basketball shoe to incorporate Nike Air technology. The Air Force 1 was originally designed for players like Moses Malone and Jeff Ruland, but it was also worn by other basketball legends.

After the first wave of production of the Air Force 1 ran out in 1984, the perception of Nike customers suddenly changed. The demand for the basketball sneaker increased. Three retailers from Baltimore - "Downtown Locker Room", "Cinderella Shoes", "Charley Rudo's Sports" - were finally able to persuade Nike to launch a completely new series in different color designs. Even if initially the demand was mainly concentrated on the east coast of the USA, the popularity of the Air Force 1 grew steadily. The hip-hop community in particular discovered him and made him popular.

In 2013, there was a huge hype about Nike sneakers in Germany. The Air Force 1, together with the Nike Air Max and Nike Frees, brought in the largest turnover. All new designs were developed during this time, with the classic white variant turning out to be the most popular.

At first, the Air Force 1 was only available as a high and low version. The medium-high one was added later.

Designer

Nike Air Force 1 low white, model 2007

The Air Force 1 was designed by Bruce Kilgore. A former designer and sculptor, Kilgore joined Nike in 1979, the same year that Nike introduced Air technology. In addition to the Air Force 1, Kilgore also developed the Air Jordan II , the Air 180 and the Sock Racer .

various

  • In 1983 the high-top Air Force 1 was worn by popular NBA players (the "Original Six") of the time: Michael Cooper , Bobby Jones, Moses Malone , Calvin Natt, Mychal Thompsen and Jammal Wilkes .
  • In 2002, the US rapper Nelly , along with Kyjuan , Murphy Lee and Ali , dedicated a track of the same name to Air Force 1 (s) on his album Nellyville.
  • The German rappers Kool Savas and Jan Delay also dedicated a song to this shoe. The song by Kool Savas presented MZEE.com as download available. Jan Delay's song is available under the name Boba Ffett - King Nike Air on Eimsbush Style Liga Vol.1 .
  • In 2007 the song "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)" was commissioned exclusively for the 25th anniversary of the sneaker. For this, Nike hired the rappers Kanye West , Nas , KRS-One and Rakim . The Nike Air Force 1 Remix was produced by DJ Premier .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Nike Air Force 1 Sneaker Turns 25 Years Old . In: The New York Times . December 23, 2007 ( nytimes.com [accessed January 9, 2020]).
  2. ↑ Article on use in basketball
  3. ↑ The 5 most legendary sneakers in the history of Nike. In: foccz.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020 (German).
  4. ↑ Article on “complex.com” about Kilgore's work at Nike
  5. ^ Air Force 1. In: nike.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020 (German).