Renowned sportswear brand Nike has once again proven that it not only looks to the future for inspiration but also the past.
The latest collaboration is between Nike and Air Afrique, which is a Paris based collective named after the defunct African Airline.
The shoe encompasses the brand’s signature sportswear aesthetic with sartorial elegance.
The aim of the campaign is to pay tribute to Africa’s diaspora.The name of the campaign is inspired by the airline’s first flight code RK and the year it was launched.
The airline was formed by 11 African countries after the wave of independence.
The campaign features Ivorian football legend Didier Drogba, Malian singer Ouman Songare, Ivorian singer Marie Josee Ta Lou-Smith and Mme Dabo Traore (former employee of defunct Air Afrique airline.)
“The notion of Air is deeply connected to our history: Air Afrique, the airline itself, took to the skies to transcend cultures and newly independent African people,” says Ahmadou-Bamba Thiam, Air Afrique collective cofounder and editor of its magazine. “We also speak of Air as a symbolic, metaphorical elevation through culture and humanity. This concept was really our starting point for the product design and was central to creating the elegant silhouette of the Air Max RK61.”
The Nike x Air Afrique Air Max RK61 will be available internationally from 9 October
