Nigo and Nike Made Another Air Force 3 — and They’re Leaning Into His Bape History for Promotion
Following their debut collaboration at the beginning of the fall, Nigo and Nike are bringing back their Air Force 3 with a new colorway and a campaign that invokes his history with Bape.
The Nigo x Nike Air Force 3 “Baroque Brown” delivers an earthy color scheme that’s matched by a campaign with models fashioned after “Planet of the Apes.” Nigo, of course, is the founder of Bape, aka A Bathing Ape, and named the brand after the influential sci-fi flick from 1968. Nigo sold Bape in 2011 and ceased any involvement two years later.
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The third colorway for Nigo’s Air Force 3, and fifth version overall because of each variant boasting a counterpart with backward “Ogin” branding,” features a base cowhide leather in pecan. Darker brown leather overlays host a raised pattern, and forest green accents include a suede Swoosh. One of the mismatched insoles is decorated with a forest graphic, and the outsole takes on a translucent brown.
The campaign tells the story of the Ape Force, which is fighting an enemy named Dennis to save the planet Simyeon, a play on the word “Simean,” which refers relation or resemblance to monkeys. The characters featured in the campaign are also dead ringers for the intelligent apes in the original film.
Images also show action figures for Nigo and the characters Captain Borg, Professor Kronar and Dennis, as well as an Ape Force toy truck. It’s not clear, however, if or how the action figures will release.
Bape and Nike recently settled a lawsuit over sneaker designs from the Japanese brand that the Swoosh claimed infringed on their trademarks. The biggest sneaker involved, the Bape Sta, was designed by Nigo when he was still with the brand. As part of the deal, Bape agreed to discontinue its Bape Sta Mid, Court Sta, and Court Sta High and modify the designs of its Bape Sta and Sk8 Sta sneaker models.
The Nigo x Nike Air Force 3 in “Baroque Brown” will release December 19 through the Snkrs app and select third-party retailers. Pricing is set at $150.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
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