John Geiger has co-opted the Air Force 1, but has he made it his own? This is a question I continue to raise as brands like Air Kiy and to a lesser extent SIA have garnered the kind of success that creates a complex range of thoughts for older sneaker enthusiasts who came of age at a time when anything that bit off of Nike was wack.
In the last ten years, as Nike’s trademark and patent expired on the design of the Air Force 1 and BAPE rose to prominence, the appropriation of IP is no longer considered biting or wack. If the product arrives in limited enough numbers, then there is a demand. Which brings into question if it’s Geiger’s reinterpretation that is being supported here, or is it Nike’s own lack of giving the people what they want that empowers these brands.
To be honest, this model looks a lot like the collab with John Elliott and Nike on a Vandal from a few years back. At the time the Vandal wasn’t a hot shoe and that model ended up in the clearance store on a deep discount. This model from Geiger will undoubtedly sell through, but the production run could be as little as 100 pair. On the grand scale, this means very little, but for a boutique brand, that’s a 20,000 dollar month on one SKU… but is it fresh?