The 1 Reimagined: an article and poorly taken photos about it
SNKRS blew up my phone this morning to remind me that The 1 Reimagined will be dropping like my jaw at that HORRENDOUS Justin Timberlake half time show. Little did SNKRS know ya boi skeezy was already posted up at Nike SOHO to cop for my boo. Who the hell goes into work at 9 am anyway?
If you’re not up on this yet, go here and here. Short story: Nike asked a team of all female designers to make some “cool shit” in two weeks. 14 days later, they came back with a collection inspired by the AJ1 and AF1. If you want to know more about the process, inspiration, and women behind the project, hit those links. I’m not about to rehash some shit that’s already been said. I’m not Complex.
But what I’m about to say is for all you HypeBeasts pronouncing Vetements like “Vet-uh-mints.” Fuckouttahere with that and learn some French. Duolingo IS FREE.
The 1 Reimagined is a better collection than Virgil Abloh’s “The Ten,” easily the most hyped collaboration of 2017.
I’M NOT SAYING “THE TEN” ISN’T DOPE AS FUCK. Virgil breathed a lot of much-needed life into Nike over the past year. Flipping ten Nikes on their heads, he presented a collection that felt more like swaggy DIY projects than just another weekly offering from the almighty Swoosh. The vast selection allows for any type of sneakerhead to buy into and appreciate the collection. And yea, they admittedly look fresh.
But they feel branded and a little repetitive.
Over the course of the sneakers from The Ten, certain design cues tie the shoes together. The screen-printed text, the orange tag under the swoosh, the unfinished edges, and the zig-zag stitch become expected by the third or fourth pair. Rather than a development of an aesthetic story, we’re told the same joke ten times from a different voice. And it works for the most part, allowing the consumer to choose which version of the joke they like the best. But the deconstructed aesthetic is informed more by a preconceived list of design applications than a consideration for how each individual shoe could be manipulated within the context of a larger vision.
Is this a little reductionist? Maybe. But I’m here for decisive taste on fashion, not half-assed opinions driven by sales numbers and influencers.
Which brings me to The 1 Reimagined, a collection demanding that streetwear step it up when it comes to designing for women. (for the sake of brevity, The 1 Reimagined will be referred to as T1R)
Let’s be real, no matter how many “effeminate” colorways Nike proposes for the Air Force 1 and Air Jordan 1, the original demographic was a male audience, and a colorway doesn’t do much to change that. Nor does adding a ridiculous pump on the back. Who the fuck thinks a Nike Dunk heel is cute? Exactly. It’s poor showing from Nike to think that simply switching up the colors and determining that a heeled sneaker are acceptable routes in inviting, including, and listening to women in sneaker culture and streetwear - two genres of fashion grossly overpopulated with you weirdos reading this.
With T1R, the women of Nike took the AF1 and AJ1 to develop a ten-shoe collection designed by, inspired by, and made for women. And while all ten iterations are derived from two sneakers, it’s inarguable that each iteration has it’s own aesthetic, style, and personality told through varying methods of functionality and design. From corset lacing ON THE FUCKING BACK to mismatched swooshing, from reducing the upper to building it high over the ankle, T1R pulls from the best trends, timeless aesthetics, and contemporary designers to create a collection for every woman, mood, and occasion.
The AJ1 EXPLORER XX employs the transparent vinyl found on Commes Des Garçons’ Nike Dunk in combination with the exaggeratedly high boot cut, made popular through Acronym’s latest Nike collab and Nike’s subsequent AF-SF1 iterations. The mismatched and misplaced swooshes of the AF1 JESTER XX bring to mind Travis Scott’s AF1. Sacai’s 2015 Nike Dunk Lux, another for-women Nike, easily informs the AJ1 SAGE XX.
T1R introduces corset lacing on the AF1 REBEL XX and sideways lacing on the AJ1 REBEL XX. Futuristic and weird, the AF1 EXPLORER XX and AJ1 JESTER XX experiment with exaggerated soles and statement making hardware. Oh yea, and every slip-on from T1R puts every Vans slip-on to absolute shame (obviously including those god-forsaken FOG vans).
The point is T1R is an informed venture in collective footwear design, pulling inspiration from contemporary greats as well as introducing design choices rarely found on mainstream shoes today. Every attitude - from bossy hardware and exaggerated proportions, to quaint slip-ons and elegant lacing– is found in this collection. It’s all tied together through color and its roots in two of Nike’s most iconic shoes.
The all white presentation invites the consumer into the conversation, allowing them to customize, paint, draw, distress, or keep real-fuckin-clean their kicks. It asks the woman in the shoes to make a decision herself about how she’s going to wear them, rather than Virgil’s The Ten, which offers a DIY feel without actually granting the opportunity to the customer.
T1R doesn’t look to define or pigeonhole its female demographic. Its goal is to support and add #coolshit to their daily lives while bringing them into the conversation of style and design in streetwear.
Again, I think The Ten is an amazing collaboration and hats off to Nike and Virgil for opening the door to expansive sneaker projects as well as re-inspiring DIY culture. Without The Ten, T1R may still be on the drafting table. But, by listening to and offering a collection to women as well as simply designing dope shit; The 1 Reimagined is a better collection.
To reiterate, if you got a girl and you’re not in line tryna cop these for her, then you’re whack and this can be the last article you read on my shit. And don’t hit me with that “she’s got her own money she’s good fam.” I am WELL AWARE she’s got her own cake (more than me, my girl makes so much more than me) and she can handle her damn self but YOU SHOULD LOVE AND SUPPORT HER BY COPPING JAWNZ.
Shouts one time to my man Johnny at Nike SOHO for being the best goddamn salesman. Shouts one time to my girl for ditching work this morning to let me buy her shoes. And shouts to Nike for taking major steps forward.
