There are very few in this world that are selected by Nike’s fashion house to enter their fold and create a shoe from the archive of footwear the brand has put out over their storied history.

 

Even fewer have the honor of not only creating with the sportswear conglomerate, but getting a greenlight to do something the brand never does.

 

A brand new silhouette.

 

And that’s what the Air Fear Of God 1 is.

 

A culmination of a three-year design process between jerry Lorenzo and the massive performance wear brand.

 

Aside from looking like a pair of sky top basketball sneakers from 3018, the Air FOGs are quite legitimately the most painstakingly crafted luxury athletic shoes ever created.

 

The coolest thing about these sneakers isn’t the sleek silhouette.

 

It’s not the space age double stacked zoom cushioning that is somehow flush and windowed completely through the heel of the sole.

 

It isn’t the abstract but functional cage system, that zips up for rear entry of the sneaker like some retro 1980s ski boot.

 

The craziest part of the Air FOGs is the extreme attention to detail, and the opposite approach that so many of the recent blockbuster collaborations we have seen come out in 2018.

 

We think about the high-end iterations from Off-White, Acronym, and Tom Sachs. Loud. Oversized branding. In your face.

 

But for all intents and purposes, the Air FOG is so subtle, you might miss it.

 

The beauty is in the minimalism. A state of the art shape. Understated hints of branding. Rather than going for something that reaches out and grabs you by the collar to scream in your face, the Air FOG 1 simply exudes an air of luxury.

 

The somewhat sociopathic attention to detail in the shoe is almost so nuanced, the untrained eye likely misses it.

 

But at the same time, this is something we haven’t ever seen before.

 

You can’t help but notice it, because Nike has never made anything that looks quite like this.

 

Jerry Lorenzo mentions that when he was approached by Nike with the possibility of partnering on a sneaker, he was willing to pass on the opportunity if he couldn’t do it his way.

 

He didn’t want to make an iteration of a pre-existing model.

 

He didn’t want to color up a shoe that didn’t fall in line with the FOG aesthetic.

 

And what we got was a manic attention to detail. A seamless execution of form and function. An unimaginably subtle flare.

 

The sad fact of the matter is that for a lot of folks, the brand name associated with these kicks will be enough.

 

The promise of a hefty resale price will be enough.

 

But if you know, you know. This is a landmark sneaker for streetwear and sportswear alike. A hybrid, the first of its kind.