Ben Felderstein 
The Air Force 1 is inarguably one of the most iconic sneakers of all time and has been serving as a canvas for artists and shoe designers ever since Bruce Kilgore created it in 1982. There’s a lot about this sneaker that isn’t quite known as it is nearly four decades old, but in this Nike News feature, Kilgore reveals some insight to the design of this unforgettable shoe.
Kilgore and his team initially built the AF1 in Exeter, New Hampshire (the site of Nike’s first Sports Research Lab) where they perfected a slip-lasting construction method where the upper is pulled over and attached to the midsole. After it was made, he and other Nike colleagues hit the road to deliver samples of his new design to college athletes across the country to gauge their response on his creation. However, it wasn’t until 1987 when Kilgore was in Taiwan and saw his shoe still being made that he realized just how popular the Air Force 1 had become. Today, his design is just as popular as ever with Nike releasing new styles and designs regularly. Read the rest of the feature on Bruce Kilgore’s Air Force 1 design process on Nike News.
