Nike keeps turning the Air Force 1 into things it was never meant to be. Dress shoe. Velvet trophy. Mink-in-spirit. Now, a winterized tank. The shoe’s newest version, an AF1 Low built with GORE-TEX lining and a Vibram outsole, might be the sneaker’s most sensible upgrade.

The AF1 never needed saving. Over four decades, the sneaker has proved its look from every angle. Which is why adding mountaineering traction and storm-grade membranes feels less like novelty and more like refinement.

Nike has tapped Vibram before for trail shoes and ACG boots, but rarely for something you’d actually wear every day. That is the interesting part.

The tweaks are quiet. Full-grain leather backed with GORE-TEX. Sealed perforations. Pressed Swoosh. GORE-TEX hits on the dubrae and collar.

Underfoot, the standard flat AF1 cupsole is swapped for Vibram rubber with deeper lugs and sharper tread geometry, the kind built to hold traction on wet concrete and icy steps.

Standard AF1s already survive drizzle and wet sidewalks. This pair looks built for slush, frost, and anything past that.

“Off Noir” lands like a stealth "Triple Black." "Clay Green" reads outdoors without leaving the city. The shape stays unmistakable. 

Both colorways of the Vibram and GORE-TEX Air Force 1 shoes  Holiday 2025 through Nike’s website and select retailers for about $150 with more colorways expected to drop in 2026. 

If anything, it proves the AF1 still has room to evolve. Same silhouette, now built for winter streets.

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