John Kim 
Hiroshi Fujiwara, Tinker Hatfield, and Mark Smith are three of the most influential figures in Nike and sneaker history, serving as pioneering architects for some of the most progressive sneaker designs and concepts ever to grace the planet. Any project they touch has magnificent results, but what would happen if the three minds meshed together to form one idea? The world may not be able to handle that level of wisdom, but a collective of Hiroshi, Tinker, and Mark was created anyway, forming the ‘HTM’ label that has produced some insane classics over the last decade. In 2002, HTM devised a special duet of Air Force 1 Lows, but it’s not as intricate or advanced as you might think; in fact, the original run of the HTM x Nike Air Force 1 might be the simplest Air Force 1 collaboration ever, as both feature basic tonal colorways with contrast stitching, built with premium leather uppers.
Both the Paul Brown and Black colorways were limited to just 1,500 individually-numbered pairs, and were available exclusive in Japan, Hong Kong, and Europe. The special box-packaging as well as the HTM hang-tag and insole patch gave these basic Air Force 1s some personal flavor, proving that wild colorways and out-of-the-ordinary materials weren’t necessary in making a shoe stand out. The Nike Air Force 1 ‘HTM 1’ was the perfect display of maximizing proven methods as it accentuated the beauty of the Air Force 1 design with the minimalistic approach, and to this day remains a coveted collector’s item as much as the previous four Air Force 1s we detailed this week. Later in 2008, HTM brought back its original Air Force 1 in the same colors, using a luxurious croc-skin upper and Hiroshi’s fragment design logo on the heel to give it new life. Check out both colorways below, and let us know which pair from our Classics Revisited Nike Air Force 1 Low Week you enjoyed the most!
HTM x Nike Air Force 1
Black/Black-Net
305895-001
2002
Paul Brown/Paul Brown-Net
305895-211
2002
Photos: rakuten
