The Mile-High Moc: Air Afrique x Nike Air Max RK61

just pulled a fresh boarding pass with Parisian collective Air Afrique, unveiling the RK61. The name comes straight off the tarmac: RK for Air Afrique’s flight code and 1961 for its launch year, back when the airline stitched West Africa to the world.

The build is pure hybrid madness. Think moccasin vibes laced with DNA from cult classics like the Air Max Sunder. Premium leather panels wrap the upper, zipped up with a shroud hiding the laces. Inside, jacquard linings riff on vintage airplane seats, while the outsole flashes Morse code spelling out ‘Air Afrique.’ Out back, a green-tinted Air bubble channels the glow of a jet engine – subtle flex, serious detail.

For the crew at Air Afrique, this isn’t just product, it’s memory in motion. ‘Air was about transcending borders and cultures,’ says collective member Ahmadou-Bamba Thiam. ‘That energy guided the silhouette.’

To drive it home, Nike’s running the Première Classe campaign with a lineup that hits heavy: football god Didier Drogba, Malian icon Oumou Sangaré, sprint queen Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith, and Mme Daba Traoré, who once worked for the airline. It’s intercontinental clout you can’t fake.

Touchdown is set for October 9, 2025, with pairs dropping via SNKRS and select spots worldwide. Retail is locked at $210 – not bad for a one-way ticket to the mile-high moc club.

For more Air Max models with plenty of jet fuel, Victor Victor’s Nike Dn8.