Nike recently treated sneaker fans to the Air Raid Jungle Gym from 1993 (which we covered here at Sneakerjawns), and now we're getting the 2014 remake. The Air Raid brand has been building some steam this year with the Air Raid Low, Air Raid Jungle Gym, and Air Raid OG, and notably the Nike Air Max 1 featuring in the Live Together Play Together Pack with a Jungle Gym colorway. On top of that, the 90s silhouette is getting releases at the beginning of the year with the Air Raid 2014 remake and the Air Raid Ray Guns. The old silhouette is getting some attention from their makers, that is Nike, to give more variations to the classic style. The Nike Air Raid has much lore to it, designed by Tinker Hatfield as an outdoor counterpart to the Air Jordans, featured in commercials with Spike Lee, hence the Live Together Play Together ethos. The 2014 Black and White Air Raid is not as colorful as the jungle gym, but style doesn't always come with flare. Let's ...
Nike pushes the bounds of creavity more than any sneaker company in the industry. And they're often looking for inspiration in literally anything from nature, food, and media. Their references do get extreme, fully embracing the theme. Nike's recent extremities had threated to land them in hot water with another company: USPS. The unveiling of the Air Force 1 "Postal" seemed too close to a reference for the Postal Service's liking as it imitated their packages.
The two companies have come to an amicable deal and now the Air Force 1 Postal has official licencing. From the images we can see why Nike's design caused such a stir. It's an apparent rip off, something that they thought they could get away with.
They probably would if the Postal Service didn't have muscles to flex. Nike's designs usually don't trespass so much but that's all behind them since the deal with USPS.
Here's a closer look at the former controversial Nike Air Force 1 Postal. The heel design is what gave the postal resemblance. The back features postal colors: blue, red, and white on a label, imitating the label on a package. There's wording "For Everyday Use."
"From" references letter lingo, offering room to write one's name. The "Nike Air" above is upside down. The uppers references vacuum sealed packaging. There's grey on the collar, tongue and outsole.
The Air Force 1 Postal will be available May 28th through Nike.com.
