Nike Air Force 1 Pixel

Air Force 1 Pixel

The Air Force 1 Pixel, which was made by women for women, is dressed in eye-catching pixelated details that make for a captivating design. Beginning underfoot, the outsole has two distinct box-shaped sections cut into it in a different colour to the rest, one under the forefoot, the other below the heel. Around its edges, instead of their regular construction, the unevenly spaced lugs are different shapes and sizes. This effect extends up into the angular, blocky midsole, which uses foam alongside rubber capsules in high-impact areas for extra comfort and durability. 

The AF1 Pixel rests on a tall midsole that includes smooth areas as well as textured ones alongside a notable section sticking up from the forefoot. Its geometric patterns interrupt the midsole’s Air lettering and its stitching. Both have been split in two, with the text shifted apart and the stitching only appearing on certain parts, stopping at a point where the heel has been divided. The tip of the outsole, conspicuous due to its star-shaped grip patterns, also reaches further up the front of the foot. A final midsole detail is the two tiny pixel indentations in the medial midfoot that sit in front of a band of rubber containing the coordinates: 45.4888 N, 122.8013 W – marking an intersection in Beaverton, United States, not far from Nike’s headquarters.

These pixelated features continue across the upper, beginning in the toe box, where the perforations are tiny squares instead of circles. On the Nike Air Force 1 Pixel, they are arranged in their own unique way – 10 holes organised into a single line of four flanked by a row of three either side. Moving up the foot, the eyelets are also square-shaped, while the lace lock is a rectangular tube. Around the laces, the eyestay is only stitched partway round, with a gap along the length of the midfoot panel below. Behind this, the tongue is the same material as the rest of the sneaker, whether it be leather or suede. The tongue patch is sewn along the bottom but loops loosely over the peak of the tongue and extends down its underside. Down the sides, Nike swooshes can be seen, but these ones are cut into the rear and midfoot overlays, generating added depth. Meanwhile, the collar has been carefully crafted so that the leather arcs over the topline before connecting to the counter lining. 

The Air Force 1 Pixel also features distinctive branding made through an inventive use of  “Nike” and “AF1”, whose characters have been worked into cube shapes, creating a cool 3D appearance. The right shoe has the Nike cube on its insole and the AF1 cube over its tongue tab and heel panel, while the opposite is true of the left. At the back, the heel tabs have square edges, thus completing the angular design of this pixelated sneaker.