LeBron James is a Philadelphia 76er now, and Nike did not waste one single second. The Air Force 1 '01 "Philly" landed October 22 at 5:30 PM ET, timed with his arrival and the Sixers' first home game of the season, and it is a full-blown love letter to my city.
Start with the colors, because the colors are the whole argument. White leather up top, a royal blue perforated toe box and side panels, red leather Swooshes with a smaller red Swoosh tucked under the laces, a white midsole with blue AIR lettering, and a blue rubber outsole. That is the Sixers palette from head to toe, and it looks like it was always supposed to be there.
Then the details start showing off. The 215 is embroidered on one outer heel and PHL on the other, outlined in blue with a red Swoosh running right through it. The blue heel tabs carry white Phila lettering and the first-ever Philadelphia Attack logos. Flip the shoe over in your head and check the insoles: a black and white brick wall split by cracks with a red Nike logo bursting through, a nod to the city's cobblestone streets. Philly details stacked on Philly details.
“New York got pixels. Philly got brick and cobblestone.”
Moe Train
Nike ran this same city tribute play in New York earlier this year, an Air Force 1 '01 "NYC" during the Knicks playoff run with pixelated Madison Square Garden insoles. Fine. New York got pixels. Philly got brick and cobblestone, and I know which one I would rather stand on. This pair is style code JW9694-100, $140, men's sizes 3.5 to 15, launched through Nike SNKRS and at Lapstone & Hammer right in Philadelphia.
This is my city. Wing Bowl city. The city that raised me and still runs through everything I do. Nike put the 215 on an all-time great silhouette and got every detail right. 215 forever.
Source: Sneaker News
