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Since its release in 1982, the Nike Air Force 1 has become one of the most popular and beloved sneakers on the planet. Whether it’s the classic all-white design or the all-black silhouette, you have likely seen the Air Force 1 on someone’s feet before.
The style is a personal favorite for fashion enthusiasts, sneakerheads and A-list stars including Rihanna, Hailey Bieber, Naomi Osaka, Jennifer Lopez, Kendall Jenner, Drake, Odell Beckham Jr. and Bella Hadid.
The Air Force 1 has continued to gain notoriety thanks to its high-profile collaborations with celebrities like Billie Eilish and Travis Scott. Even the late Virgil Abloh put his own bespoke design on the iconic shoes to produce the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 sneaker. Furthermore, Supreme gave the sneaker a trendy upgrade with changeable allover laces for the signature black and white models.
Although everyone may own a pair of Air Force 1 sneaker, lacing them differently can help you stand out from the crowd. There are several tips and tricks to help you perfectly lace Air Force 1 sneakers. It is quite simple to achieve a comfortable fit, while still staying to true to your own personal style.
How to Lace Air Force 1s
To learn how to lace Air Force 1 sneakers, let’s begin with the classic and standard style of lacing. This suggestion can be used on several variations of the Nike Air Force 1, whether it’s the low-top, mid or high-top silhouette.
- Step 1: For starters, you must insert your laces through the first set of eyelets, once that is complete you will want to make sure that they are both an equal length. If they are not the same length, this can easily affect the appearance of your laces and make it hard to fill each set of eyelets.
- Step 2: After checking the length of the laces once they are through the eyelets, you will then crisscross the laces and thread them alternatively through the succeeding eyelets on the opposite side. Once this is done you will want to ensure that laces lay flat and are positioned upwards as you continue.
- Step 3: As you get closer to the tongue tab, you have the option of skipping it or passing it through for a secure fit. This goes for any style of Nike Air Force 1 that you wear. Skipping the tongue will give your sneaker a looser and more comfortable feel, while passing through will make it feel firm and fastened on your feet.
- Step 4: Lastly, you will tie the ends of your sneaker together and continue to repeat the process on your other shoe. Depending on your preference you can either lace the Air Force 1 from outside to in or vice versa or tuck them into your shoe.
What Kind of Laces Do You Need?
Air Force 1 already come with their very own flat laces, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t switch them out to give your sneaker their own customized and personal flair. Air Force 1 laces are typically medium length and fall between 49 and 54 inches. This is good to keep in mind if you do decide to switch out your laces for another style. If you want to achieve the classic look of the sneaker it’s best to stick to the flat laces, however, round laces can also be an option when lacing Nike sneakers.
Different Ways to Lace Air Force 1s
Diamond Lacing
The diamond method is very similar to the traditional way of how to lace Air Force 1 sneakers. However, there’s a few minor differences to create this unique design.
- You will want to begin by skipping the first set of eyelets on your sneaker and start at the second row. Then go back under and put your laces through the first set of eyelets that you initially skipped.
- After you will continue to work your way up in the normal order without skipping or missing or any eyelets, but loop yourself back on to thread through the eyelets on the row before as you go.
Straight Bar Lacing
Straight bar lacing is one of the most common and alternative techniques on how to lace Air Force 1 sneakers and as well as other silhouettes.
- Simply start by lacing your Air Force 1 sneakers from the outside in.
- Next, weave through each eyelet in a snake-like manner until you reach the top of the Air Force 1 and can tie the laces together.
- The ultimate trick with straight bar lacing is to treat each length of the lace as a separate entity. For example, the left length of the lace will go through the first, third and fifth row of the eyelets, while the right lace will go through the second, fourth and sixth row.
Lattice
Lattice lacing is one of the more advanced ways to lace up a sneaker. The style is highly involved but offers the sneaker a decorative touch. When done properly, lattice lacing of shoes can often offer the wearer a more secure fit. In general, a lattice is an abstract structure studied by mathematicians.
- Begin straight across on the inside of the shoe working out through the bottom eyelets. You’ll want to cross the ends on the outside and feed them through the pair of eyelets four rows higher up the shoe (skip past three rows)
- You’ll then run both ends straight down on the inside and out through the empty pair of eyelets found at the bottom of the shoe. From there, you’ll go over and under, alternatives to create a lattice effect, hence the name, similar to the woven pattern found on the top of a freshly baked pie.
- It is important to note that the more pairs of eyelets in the shoe, the taller and more dense the resulting lattice will be. This is because there are more diagonals running each way and woven through each other.
- To secure your woven work, you’ll tie the two halves together at the top like you would a bow tie.
- This lacing method is extremely ornate and acts to alter the silhouette of any shoe. When done to an Air Force 1 sneaker, it gives the neutral all-white style further interest without too much hassle.
PHOTOS: See how celebrities style Air Force 1 sneakers in the gallery.
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About the Author:
Ashley Rushford is the Digital Editor for Footwear News. She writes and edits stories about celebrity style, the latest fashion trends, shoe releases and exclusive interviews. Ashley received her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Media Studies from Rutgers University and has written for publications like Essence Magazine and Black Enterprise.
