Nike Designer Frank Cooke Just Teased an Air Force 180 Retro

Frank Cooke is for the culture. The legendary Nike designer’s social media presence has always been a trove of early and unreleased sneaker content, so much so that his employer told him to cut it out. But whether he’s previewing retros or just putting ideas in the air with a look to the archive, it appears that Cooke is once again hinting towards what’s to come from The Swoosh.

In a new Instagram stories post, Cooke posted an in-hand look at a classic Air Force 180 Union from the 2005 Clerks pack that also featured three boutique collab pairs alongside an Undefeated Nike Dunk High NL and a Stussy Blazer Mid 73. Along with the photo, Cooke posted the caption, “It’s time to get busy again…” In a 2021 interview with Hypebeast, Cooke picked the Union collab Air Force 180 as his “sole mate,” and spoke in-depth about his love for both the silhouette and the Union colorway in particular, and even predicted a possible comeback for the model.

“To me, it’s the perfect shoe when you’re discussing paneling,” Cooke told Hypebeast. “There are a lot of things to play with as far as different colorblocking schemes and materials. There are only a few ‘classic’ Air Force 180 colorways, so with the advancements in technology we’ve seen since it first released and how much things can be altered on the development side these days, I think that it could have a ‘new classic’ moment sometime down the road.”

Speaking about the colorway in particular, Cooke continued, going deep into the details on the 21-year-old collab.

“I love that fuchsia pop it has, with the gradient detailing on the midsole,” Cooke said. “The mix of safari print and camo is pretty crazy, too. Obviously, camo on shoes is nothing new, but I’ve never seen a camo that mixes turquoise and yellow. All these bright colors flow so well with the gray and white base, too. The look is so unisex and so ahead of its time. We always put men’s and women’s shoes in specific categories, but to me, it should never be like that. Dope-ass shoes are just dope-ass shoes, and this is definitely a dope-ass shoe.”

As of now, it’s not exactly clear if Cooke’s post was just a shoutout to one of his favorite shoes of all time and a reminder to keep on producing dope shit, or if it was a true preview of the Air Force 180 moment he foreshadowed five years ago. No matter what happens, download the Sole Retriever App to keep up with all the latest updates from Cooke and the Nike camp.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com