Blessed with out-of-this-world contours, the remains one of the sneakerworld’s most distinctive designs. Originally released back in 1997, Nike unveiled the performance-geared Foamposite technology in two models: the Nike and Air Foamposite Pro. Orlando Magic superstar would be the player to debut the One in its only OG colourway, sporting pairs with his 1CENT logo. Meanwhile, the Pro would go on to become the more understated model of the two, despite sporting a jewel Swoosh on the side.
Today, the Air Foamposite’s following remains as passionate as ever, while retro releases and collaborations have ushered in new members to the Foam fam.
Here’s a look back at the best colourways in the Air Foamposite lineage.
Released in 2012 to mark the premiere of the ParaNorman animated film, this glow-in-the-dark Grail was limited to just 800 pairs. While the low stock numbers made the colourway a pretty difficult acquisition, Nike decided to make copping even more difficult by rolling out the release via a unique Twitter competition.
To this day, we’re yet to see a retro of these Foams. You snooze, you lose!
One of most eye-catching colourways to ever drop, the aptly named ‘Chromeposite’ Air Foamposite Ones dialled the silhouette’s outer space aesthetic up to 11 with an astronaut-like reflective upper. Interestingly, the actual inspiration for the colourway was a little closer to home, with the mirror-like look paying homage to the bright lights of the New York City streets.
After debuting in 2010, these pretty pennies were re-released in 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the OG Foamposite. Much like the ‘Chromeposite’, this colourway proved extremely popular in the sartorial stakes thanks to its neck-craning metallic shell.
A true fan-favourite among Foamposite fiends, the ‘Eggplant’ remains one of the most sought-after colourways ever released, thanks largely to its alluring ‘Varsity Purple’ upper with contrasting black accents.
The ‘Galaxy’ Air Foamposite One is not only one of the most important Foams of all time – it’s one of most important sneakers of all time. Created to celebrate 2012’s NBA All-Star Weekend, the limited edition colourway sent resell culture into orbit, with some Foam fiends snapping up pairs on eBay for $70,000.
The prices may have dropped since then, but there’s no doubt the ‘Galaxy’ has played a key role in shaping the contemporary sneakersphere as we know it.
The original and (arguably) the best! The ‘Royal Blue’ Air Foamposite One has been retroed more times than any other colourway, and for good reason. The classic colourway is a constant reminder of silhouette’s game-changing performance and artistic design. Whether you’re a Penny fan or not, it’s hard not to appreciate the impact the OG Foam has had on performance basketball, and the sneaker game overall.