It’s now an annual event this time of the year that we expect sneaker brand’s special Chinese New Year’s sneakers to be unveiled. However, back in the “old days” the options were much more limited.
In fact, Nike generally kept it original with one version of the Air Force 1. 2016 being the “Year of the Monkey” meant that this sneaker was released 12 years ago. And you can see how dramatic the sneaker scene has changed in that amount of time; things are much different than what you see today.
It looked like Nike started off with a crispy pair of white-white Air Force 1 Lows. Then they went with the general color of monkeys, brown or Pecan, as the main accent. The outsoles were translucent brown matching the laces, liner, and heel tab. The chinese character for monkey was stitched onto the heel along with a monkey added onto the heel. The Swoosh was given some extra love as it faded from light to dark brown. A simple Air Force 1 with just enough touches to make it stand out from a regular GR.
Do you like how Chinese New Year’s sneakers are made now or the simpler designs from 10+ years ago?
Aaron Nojima
Noah Goldowitz