Air force one born originals

Sneaker culture as we know it started with the Air Jordan 1 in 1985, but it was already beginning to take shape in the years prior. One of the most important pre-Jordan designs is 1982's Nike Air Force 1, the brand's first basketball sneaker to use Air technology. Designed by Bruce Kilgore (who also designed the infamous Air Ship worn by Michael Jordan and was the co-creator of the Air Jordan 2, along with Peter Moore), the Air Force 1 wasn't supposed to turn into a mainstream phenomenon. It wasn't even supposed to make it far beyond the one-year mark, as retros just weren't really a thing at the time.

As the story goes, Nike was convinced to keep the AF1 in production at the urging of a handful of Baltimore retailers. Touting the city's admiration for the would-have-been discontinued sneaker, the owners of Cinderella Shoes and Charley Rudo Sports (and later Downtown Locker Room) put together a "color of the month" program where each retailer stocked its own exclusive styles of the sneaker. As the decade progressed, the Air Force 1's appeal would captivate cities like New York (where the sneakers earned the “Uptowns” nickname) and Philadelphia before going worldwide. A favorite of hustlers, ball players, style-savvy youth, and seemingly everyone in between, the AF1 was here to stay.

Through the years, the sneaker has seen countless color-up, material, and technology alterations, yet the enduring silhouette is still as popular as ever. As it approaches the 40-year mark, we decided to poll some of the Air Force 1's most passionate collectors to find out what they think the best pairs of all time are. Getting a diverse group of sneakerheads to come to a consensus is no small task, but we crunched the numbers and settled on a ranking that even the most die-hard fans should be able to agree with.

These are the Top 10 Nike Air Force 1s of All Time.

In the world of sneakers, few styles last. The ones that do are the true classics—the trends that graduate to staples. They’re consistently worn by both footwear enthusiasts and the general public. For Nike, the shoes that sell shareholder-pleasing units tend to be white leather shoes like the dad-friendly Air Monarch line—ones that cool kids and connoisseurs hate. One rare example of such sneakers that cross over into both worlds is the Nike Air Force 1 in its most popular, iconic style: low-cut, in all-white.

The white Air Force 1 Low is one of the bestselling shoes of all time. A decade ago, sporting-goods analyst Matt Powell told the New York Times that the shoe sold an estimated 12 million pairs in 2005 alone, more than two decades after its debut; the sneaker is still Nike’s second bestseller a decade later, according to Powell. The hyped-up collaborations and limited-run collectibles may have given the AF1 a covetable level of prestige and helped spread its gospel to new generations, but the monotone makeups, particularly the white-on-white, have been the ones keeping the lights on at most sneaker shops over the years.

On its 1982 introduction to the court, Nike designer Bruce Kilgore’s creation, initially only available as a high top, was striking for its hiking-boot-inspired cues and uniquely chunky sole—it was the first Nike Air cushioning on a hoops shoe. The neutral white and grey palette was one of the only parts of the shoe that played it safe. Inevitably, bolder, team-color Forces would follow—as would a low-cut, making the Air Force 1 an even more popular choice when it hit retail on a wider scale in 1983.

Nike’s initial intent was to shelve the AF1 in favor of the next style, the next technology. But the model lengthened its lifeline thanks to an extended collection of different colors, a byproduct of a “color of the month” initiative pushed by a cartel of

USAF aircraft carrying the US president

For the current aircraft most commonly used as Air Force One, see Boeing VC-25. For the 1997 film, see Air Force One (film). For the Nike sneaker, see Nike Air Force. For other uses, see Air Force One (disambiguation).

Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president, and as a metonym for the primary presidential aircraft, VC-25, although it can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on.

The idea of designating specific military aircraft to transport the president arose during World War II when military advisors in the War Department were concerned about the risk of using commercial airlines for presidential travel. In 1944, a C-54 Skymaster was converted for use as the first purpose-built presidential aircraft. Dubbed the Sacred Cow and operated by the Army Air Force, it carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in February 1945 and was used for another two years by President Harry S. Truman.

The "Air Force One" call sign was created in 1954, after a Lockheed Constellation carrying President Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the same airspace as a commercial airline flight using the same flight number. Since the introduction of SAM 26000 in 1962, the primary presidential aircraft has carried the distinctive livery designed by Raymond Loewy.

Other aircraft designated as Air Force One have included another Lockheed Constellation, Columbine III; three Boeing 707s, introduced in the 1960s and 1970s; and the current Boeing VC-25As. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B (VC-25A) aircraft. The

Range of athletic shoes made by Nike

Nike Air Force is a range of athletic shoes made by Nike. It was created by designer Bruce Kilgore and was the first basketball shoe to use Nike's "Air" technology. The shoe is offered in low-, mid- and high-top styles.

Description

The shoes are sold in 3 different styles: low, mid, and high. The mid comes with a connected strap. The high-top Air Force 1s come with a velcro strap; the mid-top strap is secured to the shoe while the high-top's strap is movable and removable on some versions. Although the shoe comes in different colors and color schemes, the most common Air Force 1s sold are solid white (also referred to as "white on white"), the second most common being solid black ("black on black"). Another identifying characteristic of an Air Force 1 shoe is a small medallion secured to the bottom of the laces but with holes on both sides so it can be removed by sliding it off the shoe lace. The medallion is engraved with the inscription "AF-1", with the year "'82" inscribed beside it, which has historically been colored silver.

Models

Air Force 1

The Nike Air Force 1 was designed by Bruce Kilgore in 1982. The name is a reference to Air Force One, the plane that carries the President of the United States. Nike Air Force 1s were ubiquitous in Harlem, New York, giving rise to the nickname "Uptowns".

The Air Force 1 began production in 1982 but was discontinued in 1984. It was re-introduced in 1986 with the modern italic Nike logo with a "Swoosh" revenue on the bottom of the back of the shoe. Little has changed to the Air Force One since its creation in 1982, although the stitching