Forty years ago, Nike sought out their first factory partners in China to mass produce Swoosh-branded footwear. Now, millions of shoes later, the Swoosh is celebrating with a limited-edition release of the “Nai-Ke” Air Force 1.
Forty years ago, Nike sought out a factory in China to produce the then-fledgling brand’s sneakers on a previously unheard of scale. The project began with the the factory and Nike working on a special test shoe to see quality, materials, and accuracy. The result was a tonal sneaker, using a single white stripe on the midfoot of each shoe that separated colors and materials, even breaking up the namesake Swoosh into different colors. Since then, “The One Line” shoe has all but faded into obscurity, only to be revived this year by the Swoosh in celebration of their landmark partnership forty years ago. Now known as the Air Force 1 “Nai-Ke”, this pair mixes a grey suede upper with a single white leather stripe down each side, along with some subtle navy blue accents to pay homage to the original test shoe from the 1980s.
NIKE AIR FORCE 1 LOW “NAI-KE – THE ONE LINE” RELEASE INFORMATION
Nike’s latest special-edition release of the Air Force 1, the “Nai-Ke” pair, has already released in China earlier this week, and will likely not see a wider drop due to the nature of this release. Referencing the original “The One Line” shoes made in China forty years ago, this pair was likely released with a special price tag attached. Check out Nike’s official images for the “Nai-Ke” Air Force below, and stay tuned to JustFreshKicks for more Nike release news.
