Legendary? Tiffany & Co. x Nike shoe collaboration divides social media, with some calling US$400 kicks ‘hideous’, others ‘timely’
- Nike Air Force 1s in black suede with the signature Tiffany blue in the Nike swoosh, a sliver plate on the heel and ‘Tiffany’ on the tongue will go for US$400
- ‘A legendary pair’, the brands called their collab, but social media users largely disagree; some note the black AF1’s association with aggression
Nike and Tiffany & Co. are the latest brands to create a luxury and streetwear pairing.
The two announced a collaboration on January 31 that will include a specially designed Air Force 1 sneaker and sterling silver accessories. The combination of the two brands marks the 40th anniversary of the Nike shoe silhouette.
The Tiffany and Nike shoe is made of black suede, with the signature Tiffany blue being included in the Nike swoosh. There is a silver plate on the heel and “Tiffany” written in cursive script on the tongue.
Shoe collectors will be able to buy the new kicks on March 7 at Tiffany stores in New York and on the Nike SNKRS app for US$400.
While the shoe was announced as a “legendary pair”, users on social media immediately gave their opinion about the collaboration and design.
One user wrote: “Those Tiffany & Co x Nike AF1’s are something hideous.”
“I want to know who designed the Tiffany x Nike collab,” journalist Joyce Philippe wrote. “There was so much potential there, and yet...”
“Does Tiffany even have a brand identity any more? This collaboration with Nike is so poorly executed that it feels like a cynical attempt to cash in on the streetwear market about seven years too late,” another user wrote.
Many critiques concerned the choice of a black Air Force 1, a sneaker which has gathered a reputation as comparable with a “ski mask” in being often associated with aggression, while fine jeweller Tiffany & Co. is known for its delicate jewellery selection.
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The dichotomy between a luxury jeweller and the feelings around the black Air Force sneaker didn’t mix for observers.
“[T]hem choosing black Air Force 1s for this Tiffany’s collab is so funny cause it feels so contradictory to what black AF1s mean,” Teen Vogue writer Aiyana Ishmael wrote.
But for others, the combination of the two was a “timely” conversation.
“A lot of people are hating on the Tiffany x Nike shoe but... the elevation of the black Air Force, the Air Force being iconic to Nike + the black color having its own mythology to the ‘ski mask’ way i love it,” said wellness consultant Joe Holder, who has worked with Nike in the past.
“Not timeless but timely, a nod to our current moment in many ways.”
