Words by Community member @schopes
Over the last few years, legendary Air Forces 1's have been retroed for stories to be remembered, revisited, and retold for a new generation of sneakerheads to encounter and enjoy. Classic pairs such as the Air Force 1 West Indies Low and Independence Day Mid, which are firmly entrenched in the history of the silhouette, came back in full force last year as part of the Air Force 1’s 40th Anniversary.
Now, in 2023, we are seeing an unreleased pair from this incredible sneaker lineage: the Air Force 1 Four Horsemen. It is a solid collaboration between Nike and LeBron James, who is no stranger to the Air Force 1. He has released pairs such as the SVSM, Cavaliers, the Chamber pack, and more recently, More Than Uninterrupted and Strive For Greatness.
Crisp white leather with green detailing, this pair is an ode to James’ inner circle: Maverick Carter, Rich Paul, and Randy Mims. Their initials are on the heel, and the embroidered knight chess piece on the foxing symbolizes the Four Horsemen. Other details include a tonal mini swoosh, an oval dubrae (typical of the era of the original pair), a green double Swoosh featuring grey backing.
This theme continues for the heel lettering and "AIR" on the midsole. The sockliner, tongue hem, outsole, and insole also appear in green, with the latter sporting LeBron’s logo and signature in grey. I like this colourway. Hopefully, they will release more, possibly in white, red, and gold.
As a collector of Air Force 1s and YouTuber based in London, I am proud to be one of the most passionate and vocal advocates for the greatest silhouettes on earth.
This love for the Air Force 1 started in the late 2000s. I remember picking up a black patent leather pair with red detailing and a plum nubuck pair a couple of years later and not thinking much of it, but I didn’t know that these pairs would plant the seed of such a passion and journey; one for which I have no regrets whatsoever.
With time comes change, and over the years, the Air Force 1 has undergone some changes – some positive, some not so favourable.
The shape has been a key factor. The taper towards the toe on some of the earlier pairs exudes so much beauty and elegance, comparable to a sports car. Unfortunately, shapes like this are a rare occurrence nowadays.
My favourite pair is the Air Force 1 Illuminated, a Black Friday pair from 2013 sporting a black velvet upper, green glow outsole, and sock liner, and an iridescent swoosh. Such a fantastic pair! I remember first seeing them online, thinking they were an Asia exclusive. Regardless of this hurdle, I bought two pairs, one for me and one for my best friend. A couple of weeks later, they arrived, and I was ecstatic. They were incredible in hand, but then I found them on the UK high street in-store! This didn't dampen my mood at all, and I bought three more pairs!
A rare pair in my collection is the Air Force 1 Entourage. Heralded as one of the greatest pairs ever, it sports white and university blue tumbled leather with a black patent leather swoosh and laser detailing on the foxing heel and tongue. This incredible Hyperstrike release was based on the TV show Entourage, and there are only around 200 pairs of this shoe. I was first notified that a pair had emerged for sale while I was on a date! We were having dinner, my phone was face down buzzing repeatedly and I didn’t want to be rude.
I had to see what the emergency was, and lo and behold, arguably THE holy grail of the Air Force 1 was on sale and, more importantly, in my size.
I went outside to ensure that I had full reception and negotiated with the seller. Within a week, this legendary pair was on my feet, and the date went well too.
Additional laces and dubraes are a welcome addition to the Air Force 1. Getting another lace or accessory really gives an extra layer of personalisation and uniqueness to make your pair stand out from other people’s. This was executed perfectly with the 2022 Undefeated Patent Leather pack, which had two laces per pair and two undefeated dubraes. Other things I'd like to see with the Air Force 1 are more reinforcements to the toebox to prevent the dreaded creasing. Some pairs are more susceptible to creasing than others, regardless of the materials used. This will help the shoe physically stand the test of time, just like its legendary status.
Check out more from Jason on Instagram @schopes, on Youtube and in the comment section of every @offspringhq Air Force 1 post!
The Nike AF1 Low ‘Four Hourseman’ launches 5th of May.
