This Nike Air Force 1 Low “What The” Stacks Safari, Elephant Print, and Jewel Eye Branding Into One Black Build
Three distinct textures and an unsettling backtab detail make Nike’s latest AF1 one of the more considered constructions.
Name: Nike Air Force 1 Low “What The”
Colorway: TBC
SKU: IV4451-010
MSRP: TBC
Release Date: TBC
Nike‘s Air Force 1 Low “What The” is arriving with a texture-forward build that distributes three distinct materials across a predominantly black upper. The release layers tumbled leather, elephant print, and safari texture across specific zones of the silhouette, with a Tough Red accent and an unusual backtab treatment rounding out a construction that rewards close inspection.
The upper is divided with clear intent. The toe box and quarter anchor the shoe in tumbled black leather, providing a matte base that keeps the overall palette grounded. From there, the design shifts: elephant print covers the toe and heel, bringing a raised, irregular surface to the zones that typically anchor visual weight on the AF1‘s profile. The Swooshes break from the leather-and-print pairing entirely, rendered instead in safari texture, which runs counter to the expectation of a matching material across the shoe’s most prominent branding surface. The decision to reserve safari specifically for the Swoosh rather than a panel creates a hierarchy within the texture story rather than spreading the three materials evenly.
Tough Red hits on the tongue and midsole text serve as the lone departure from the black construction. The contrast is restrained and precise, landing at two points where Nike typically deploys secondary color on the AF1 without disrupting the overall read of the upper.
The backtab is the detail that departs furthest from convention. Circular jewel branding replaces the standard Nike Air stamp.
