Is This Nike SB’s Rumored New-and-Improved Air Force 1?

After a first look at the upcoming Nike SB x Air Max 95 appeared online last week, an extremely early preview of another one of the brand’s classic sneakers that has received a skate upgrade may have surfaced.

A glimpse at what’s possibly the rumored Nike SB x Air Force 1 was spotted in a video shared by @builtbybarth. The sneakers were worn by pro skater Eric Koston, who recently debuted the friends-and-family exclusive Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 in red. Although the shots of the unreleased sneaker are blurry and don’t reveal many discernible details, enough of the design is visible that it’s led to speculation that the shoe is in fact the rumored Nike SB x Air Force 1.

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The pair features an all-black colorway, the same look that is often used on wear test sample versions of Nike sneakers. It features writing on the midsole, not unlike what was seen on the original wear-test sample of the Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 — which was also debuted by Koston — in 2022.

Eric Koston wears an unreleased Nike Air Force 1 sneaker. <cite>@builtbybarth</cite>
Eric Koston wears an unreleased Nike Air Force 1 sneaker. @builtbybarth

While the changes from a standard Nike Air Force 1 can’t be seen in the video, the pair worn by Koston does appear to be more flexible than a normal leather version of the model.

News of a potential Nike SB x Air Force 1 surfaced in June 2024 and was later shot down by some reports after Nike issued an Air Force 1 SK8 model unaffiliated with Nike SB.

However, it appears that the rumored Nike SB x Air Force 1 is still in the works, with the latest leaks pointing to a spring 2026 launch date. FN will provide updates as more information is confirmed.

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