We get down to business rather quickly with the Nike Air Force 1 Red Ostrich.

Click to read detailed reviews of the Air Force 1 Triple White Mid (the highest selling variant of the AF1), the Wheat Work Boot and the Blue Suede/Gum.

The sneaker has an all red upper. Everything from the leather upper, to the flat laces and the tongue are all red. The sole is a contrast being all white all through. I personally feel this colorway could have benefited from a red sole to add to it’s appeal. The white sticks out and pops on the red upper while it essentially should have been the other way around. Needless to say, with use and cleaning the white is bound to turn yellow over a period of time and that is not something I look forward to. Perhaps I can paint over it once I have gotten enough wear from these kicks.

Although a general release, the sneaker wasn’t pushed out aggressively enough. That is bound to happen when there are an insane number of colorways that the iconic AF1 comes in. Being my fourth pair of AF1‘s I think I will pause for a bit before I get my next pair. The thing is that with so many lighter, more advanced sneakers out there in the market sticking to this classic which can be rather stiff in comparison is a challenge.

A quick on feet video from my YouTube channel:

As with all AF1‘s the design element is minimal, the lines are neat and clean. The standard AF1 medallion lace lock is absent in this sneaker. I didn’t mind it as much when I got the blue suede AF1 but then owning 2 pairs without the medallion is a real bummer. I would recommend going down half a size on these, like with the rest of the AF1‘s as they run large. Comfort is existential, not for runs nor for long days on your feet. Jumping in them, you can feel the impact on your ankles as I feel the shock absorption is relatively minimal. The upper being pretty stiff, the sole being heavy and clunky without articulation don’t make these a desirable walking shoe.

What I love about the AF1‘s, apart from the fact that they are iconic, is that they team pretty well with shorts, joggers, denims or chinos. Also, this is something I never mentioned before but they make me look a lot taller.

The Nike Air Force 1 is now sold across retail outlets in cities like Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore. Just remember to try a lower size before you close the deal on your true size.

That’s about it for now folks. You can shop for Nike sneakers here.

Shot by Vishal Dey for Bowties and Bones

PS: There was this entire controversy about how this is mock leather and not the real deal from a bunch of sneaker heads on my Instagram. I recommend reading up on it. I know for a fact that Nike used Kangaroo leather in football shoes as recently as 2014. And websites like Hypebeast and Sneaker Bar Detroit verify that these kicks have Ostrich leather and not just a print.