Tour de Force 1 feat. Yi-Shuan: Celebrating 40 Years of the Nike Air Force 1

1. Let the people know who you are and what your current hobbies are?

Hi, I’m Yi-Shuan Lee, I am a Canadian artist whose originally from Taiwan. My artistic practice includes painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture making. My hobbies are; coffee making, travelling, learning new and historic ideas, and furthermore; applying what I’ve learned into my creations.

2. How did the classic 40-year-old Air Force 1 first get introduced to you?

So I immigrated to North America in the late 90s, and grew up here in the 00s. Basketball, along with Hip-Hop music was my entry point to understand and learn to appreciate my new environment. I grew into my teens imagining myself to one-day become these superstars I saw on SLAM magazine and XXL magazine, and they all be constantly rocking the AF1s. The shoes then really stuck to me when Nike did the 25th anniversary launch in 2007. All my favourite athletes at the time were signed with Nike, and participated in the campaign. Since then I’ve always had at least one pair of Air Force 1s in my shoe racks.

3. What are your thoughts on the latest AF-1’s being constructed from recycled materials? Do you feel it takes away from the traditional look and feel of a staple, or do you think it’s necessary in order for Nike to move towards a carbon-neutral industry?

I mean if we are talking about the idea of “look” and what its “authentic” form should be; the AF1 ’07, which is a retro model, is the “look” that I gravitate to, and is also the model which I see authenticity for myself. With that being said, the people from previous generations who grew up wearing the ’82 ’86 models would argue differ. Even post-07 AF1 models, we’ve seen modern technologies being implemented into the shoe. I still remember back in high school, when Nike first put the lunar technology on the AF1s. Then there was the Craft AF1s, and of course in recent years; all sorts collaborations with artists and athletes. Every generation and every individual has a choice to claim which AF1 model speaks to them. The idea to crown one AF1 model as “the authentic or traditional look” is a bit overrated in my opinion. Nike will continue to do what they have to do in order to continue the legacy of the AF1s, and I look forward to seeing what the next era of Nike AF1s will become.

4. Air Force 1 highs, mids, or lows?

Lows all day errrydayyyy (Period). Though the Rasheed Wallace AF1s which were highs are pretty nice. It’s just not for my personal wear.

5. Favourite memory in the AF-1’s?

So as a teenager, my parents had me going to Taiwan for high school. The school I went to was a private school that had some next level rules and regulations when it comes to what we wear. For PE classes we had to wear strictly white shoes; which you may have guessed, the white AF1s was my choice. I probably went through at least 8 pairs of white AF1s during three years of high school in Taiwan. And for our regular school uniforms; we were required to wear black leather shoes. It’s honestly unimaginable trying to wear leather shoes in tropical-Taiwanese-summers where on good days we are still looking at 40+ degrees weather, and that’s not to even mention the humidity. I was able to get away with wearing black on black AF1s, by simply taking off the metal lace tags, and pretending they were leather shoes instead of sneakers. I would put oiled leather shoe shine on my black AF1s to make it a more believable look. So I guess it’s not one specific memory that I have with these shoes, but a whole time period of my life to what these shoes mean to me.

6. What would you like to see change from the silhouette within the next 40 years? 

Honestly nothing. Well I guess not literally nothing. What I’m tryna say is, less is more? It’s already a classic, if not the most classic sneaker of all time. I would like to see the price of the shoes to remain affordable for future generations to be able to continue to purchase, while the quality remains or even better; go up a next level! On a personal request, I am a huge fan of the jewel swoosh, and would love to see them bring it back more often.