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Brand: Off-White™ x Nike
Model: Air Force 1 Mid
Release: Spring 2022
Editor’s Notes: Virgil Abloh has rendered the Air Force 1 hardly recognizable.
Images of the designer’s latest Off-White™ x Nike venture have surfaced and, while the visuals have yet to be authorized, they’ve left me scratching my head.
The Air Force 1 Mid is an entirely classic model, instantly identifiable even from a distance.
Oddly, Abloh’s take on the silhouette convolutes the iconic sneaker with fussy add-ons and detailing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVfwHMflU9U/
Part of the AF1’s charm lies in its clean lines and stark, tonal colorways. Instead of retaining the shoe’s no-frills upper, Abloh renders it with dual prints and textures.
Combining the dual-printed upper with a criss-cross lacing system, neon-accented midsole, track spikes at the toe, and Off-White’s signature sans serif branding, the streetwear icon opts for heavy-handed detailing that ultimately muddles the sneaker.
Though Abloh keeps the Mid’s trademark ankle strap intact, he adds on a heel pull tab and erases Nike’s “AIR” branding at the midsole, seemingly small tweaks that make the style look more like a running sneaker than a basketball shoe.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVgH_0DFHGU/
Granted, some of these details are nods to Virgil’s past Nike sneakers. The all-caps text is a consistent feature across his oeuvre, and the zig-zag laces carry over from Off-White’s Nike Dunk Low. Even the spiky midsole bears resemblance to the Off-White x Nike Waffle Racer.
I’m all for cohesiveness, but Abloh was much more successful at revamping the Air Force 1 Low. Instead of warping the shoe with futuristic accents, he kept things sleek with choice touches such as his signature zip-tie tag.
Abloh isn’t exactly known for subtlety, so perhaps this Air Force 1 Mid shouldn’t come as such as surprise.
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