NIKE’s history of creative collaborations with artists such as Junya Watanabe, Futura and Mr. Cartoon has resulted in building some of the brand’s most innovative shoes that have transcended sport and style, pushing the brand even further forward. For Summer 2008, NIKE will have a new creative partner for the Air Force 1: NIKE itself.

This collection is not just a collaboration of NIKE on NIKE, but also of sneaker style on sneaker style. NIKE will be looking ahead by looking inward, referencing its own signature shoes from its family tree. NIKE Design Director Jess Leyva, along with his team, asked, “Which styles have resonated most in the company’s history? They kept coming back to designers, categories, and innovations. The collection is a celebration of not only what has made NIKE so unique, but also a look forward into the future of the company’s innovations.

Vice President of Innovation, Tinker Hatfield lent a hand creating his first Air Force 1 line as part of the Summer 08 collection referencing materials he had previously pioneered using, including safari (Safari), metal mesh (Spiridon), and tennis ball inspired fabric (Talaria), that had never been used before on the AF1.

For the Mowabb and Wildwood styles, the functionality of the ACG (All Conditions Gear) line of outdoor athletic wear was combined with the classic design of the AF1. NIKE’s designers looked at protective materials for performance benefits—such as industrial leathers—that were being applied to the AF1 for the first time, driving NIKE innovation forward.

In the third sneaker on sneaker collab, rounding out the Summer 08 collection, the designers referenced innovations, specifically the lightweight materials, reflectivity, and bold color of the Air Max series: the infra red color of the Air Max 90, the gradation of color in the Air Max 95, and the silver bullet reflectivity of the Air Max 97.

About the NIKE Air Force 1 Created in 1982 as the first ever basketball shoe to feature air technology in its inner sole, marrying function with fashion. Air Force 1 has gone on to become one of NIKE’s most legendary shoes, celebrated by hip-hop artists in over 25 songs devoted to the shoe and shoe collectors alike, who have pined for the thousands of different customizations of the AF1. It has been called the sneaker head’s sneaker; the first and last word in basketball shoes.

The Air Force 1 has crafted an incomparable history than transcends cultures, moving from the hardwood courts to asphalt playgrounds around the world. Its journey has embraced many individuals and its winning formula went on to revolutionize the game and change the world of sports footwear.