Nike’s annual N7 project, which celebrates Native American heritage through footwear with special stories attached. This year, the Air Force 1 will be joining the collection, sporting an incredible new woven cork upper.

Nike’s celebration of Native American heritage usually launches in the Spring or Summer seasons, so today’s early look at the Cork Air Force 1 is a very early leak and is best viewed as an in-progress sample. However, it’s pretty hard not to be excited about something this interesting. For this release, Nike appears to be pairing the N7 collection with their ‘Move to Zero’ initiative, adding more sustainable materials to the shoes to flatten out each pair’s carbon footprint. While this is always a fantastic goal to strive for, if you can sprinkle in some innovation along the way, it just makes it a little more enticing. Take the upper of this upcoming N7 AF1, for example. The quarter panels and heels appear to be constructed similarly to Nike’s famous woven sneakers, except at least half the layers seen here are made from flattened cork. Known for its lightweight and breathable porous surface, cork is commonly used as a sock-liner that breathes, so this pair of the Air Force 1 will likely let you feel a slight breeze on hot Summer days.

NIKE AIR FORCE 1 N7 “CORK” RELEASE INFORMATION

Nike’s upcoming Air Force 1 for the 2022 N7 collection has, obviously, not been announced for release, as we likely won’t see this project drop until June or July next year. Constructed from more sustainable materials and featuring a woven cork upper, this iteration of the Air Force 1 will likely come with an elevated price tag, at least reaching $150. Check out the teaser images below for a better look, and stay tuned to JustFreshKicks for more Nike release news.

UPDATE 12/20/21: This week brings us new official images of the upcoming Nike Air Force 1 N7, which indicates that Nike is gearing up for a release sometime in the coming weeks. The close-up shots give us a better look at the intricate weave used in the upper as well as the cork insoles and limited-edition packaging.