Nike has shared the official images of the NIGO x j-hope Air Force 1. The sneaker is the latest chapter in NIGO's Air Force 1 World Tour and brings the Japanese designer together with BTS member j-hope.
The NIGO x j-hope Air Force 1 releases on SNKRS on 22 October.
Say the name NIGO and most people think of A Bathing Ape, the label he founded in Tokyo in the nineties.
These days he is best known as the man behind Human Made. With the World Tour, he is working across several seasons on his own versions of the Air Force 1 '01, the slim 2001 model that Nike is bringing back specifically for this series.
The tour kicked off with the Nike x NIGO LO2 Air Force 1, NIGO's first take on the silhouette.
That release came with an apparel collection based on LO2 pieces from 1993. LO2 was a magazine column that NIGO made famous in the early nineties together with Jun Takahashi.
For the second chapter, NIGO brought in j-hope.
The two go back a while: they previously released the HUMAN HOPE collection together at Human Made. According to Nike, the partnership grew out of mutual admiration.
NIGO sees j-hope as one of the few people who can pass culture on to a new generation. The design blends nineties Tokyo nostalgia with j-hope's colourful 'hobicore' style.
The upper is made of glossy leather in Burnt Sunrise and Metallic Gold. Chlorine Blue accents add contrast, including on the Swoosh.
j-hope himself points to the colour of the enamel-like material as his favourite detail.
Squirrels and double branding
From there, it gets personal. The laces carry their own pattern, something j-hope says he rarely sees and that, in his view, adds to the sneaker's charm.
An embroidered squirrel sits on the heel counter, a nod to his energetic style. The tongue labels and heel feature updated 'j-hope Air' and 'NIGO Air' logos.
The pair comes in a special vintage shoebox with a co-branded case.
According to Nike, the next World Tour styles will also draw on NIGO's friends, influences and personal history. Who the next partner will be has not been announced.
Release and price
On 17 October, the pair drops first as an exclusive on humanmade.jp. Five days later, on 22 October, the global release follows via SNKRS and selected stores, at a retail price of €149.99.
Want to try for the NIGO x j-hope Air Force 1? It will be available through Nike.
Keep an eye on our release calendar so you don't miss the launch.
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