In some ways, the Air Force 1 serves as a microcosm for Nike as a whole, with the brand at an infliction point, still wildly popular thanks to past innovation but no longer enjoying the ironclad cultural cachet of years past thanks to longtime competitors like ASICS and New Balance capitalizing on pandemic-era trends ...

Nike is not planning to make the popular sneaker suddenly scarce, but rather mitigate the number of pairs that go on sale. The Air Force 1—a model that contributes many millions of dollars to Nike's annual revenues—is in some ways symbolic of the company's current predicament. It's classic, but it's also ancient.

The Nike Air Force 1 Pixel makes a strong statement.It reimagines the iconic AF-1 with modern touches like the pixelated sole and midsole, the Nike logos, and premium velvet touch to the tongue and Swoosh design.

The Nike AF1s first hit the shoe market in 1982 after a young shoe designer named Bruce Kilgore found a way to integrate Nike's Air technology into a basketball sneaker. The rest, as they say, is history.