Last week, Hiroshi Fujiwara shared a look at what many thought was an upcoming Nike Air Force 1 Mid collaboration. It turns out that the sneaker is, in fact, from 2017, when Fujiwara created his own version of Virgil Abloh’s “The Ten” with Nike.
In a clip shared to Jeff Staple’s Instagram (above), Fujiwara and Staple are at a talk at ComplexCon 2017 when the Japanese designer starts pulling out sample fragment design x Nike sneakers, all of which feature “The Ten” branding on the heel.
Fujiwara goes on to say that he had been working to develop his own version of “The Ten” but “lost” to Abloh, meaning that his designs were scrapped and never released.
The previously-teased Air Force 1 Mid, featuring three forefoot Velcro straps, was apparently part of that unreleased pack, as was a Flywire Cortez and a Presto-inspired Air Force 1.
Fujiwara has been collaborating with Nike for decades — his HTM designs with Tinker Hatfield and Mark Parker are considered some of the most collectible and limited in Nike's portfolio. In fact, the very first HTM initiative brought us two luxe makeups of the low-top Air Force 1.
Take a look at the Air Force 1 sample below.
