Brand: Gucci
Season: Fall/Winter 2021
Buy: Online at Gucci's website and stores
Editor's Notes: Alessandro Michele understands the grip Nike's Air Force 1 has on fashion.
Gucci's helmsman appears to be riffing on the iconic sneaker with the Web, a chunky new style with an AF1-adjacent look.
In triple white and black, the Web is proportionally and chromatically similar to Nike's ever-popular basketball shoe.
Here, though, premium leather is perforated around the toebox, and Gucci's double-G monogram graces a few panels across the upper. The heel, midsole, and tongue bear additional hits of branding.
If you're feeling more adventurous, the Web arrives in two punchier flavors. The first applies Gucci's green and red stripe to the lateral, and the second pairs smooth, cognac leather paneling with that unmistakable monogrammed canvas.
In recent months, Nike has taken a litigious stance when it comes to brands so much as paying homage to the AF1, and other famous Nike models.
In addition to cracking down on Lil Nas X and MSCHF, the footwear giant also served Warren Lotas, John Geiger, and even some smaller customizers for releasing shoes that bear resemblance to or repurpose classic Nike silhouettes.
Luckily, Gucci's Web isn't likely to tangle with Nike. Though the shoe has definite similarities to the AF1, it's missing several integral design elements (such as a logo-embossed deubré, an instant identifier of Nike's Bruce Kilgore-designed sneaker) and features a midsole that's more Reebok than Swoosh.
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