The Nike Air Force 1 has lived a million lives. It started out on basketball courts, became part of hip-hop culture, and has since been made in pretty much every material Nike could find. Now, it's looking at your dusty-ass workboots and wondering if it could do their job too.
Very appropriately named the Air Force 1 ‘Workboot’, the shape is still very much an AF1, but the usual smooth leather has been replaced with ‘Shadow Brown’ canvas across the toebox, sides, and heel. Darker suede sits over the toe and Swoosh logo, then climbs up around the laces with little serrated edges. It's brown on brown, but there's plenty going on when you get up close.
For one thing, look at the top eyelets. They're gold-coloured metal loops, with ‘Light Armory Blue’ rope laces running through them. There's also a shiny metal dubrae, a grippy gum sole, and brown-and-green plaid lining. The plaid will disappear once you've put the sneakers on, which feels a bit unfair considering how sick it looks.
So could you actually wear these to work? Well, it depends on what you do. Nike Air cushioning should make them a decent choice for a day on your feet, but there's no steel toe, and the American sportswear giant hasn't said they're waterproof. If your job involves anything heavier than a laptop, maybe keep the proper boots, pal.
And this isn't the first time this week that the AF1 has tried to take another shoe's place. Nike's been eyeing up your winter boots too with a Gore-Tex version that comes with a beefy Vibram sole.
The Nike Air Force 1 ‘Workboot’ is set to drop this autumn at Nike, the Snkrs app, and select stockists globally. More colourways are expected to be revealed soon – so if ‘Shadow Brown’ isn't your vibe, you're in luck.
This story originally appeared on British GQ.
