The History of Nike Air Force 2 Retros

Check out this detailed look through the history of the Nike Air Force 2.

1.

by Steve Jaconetta

When it comes to retro sneakers, timing is everything. And just because the timing was wrong once, doesn’t mean a models can’t have future success as a retro.

The Nike Air Force 2 is a model that’s had retro runs with mixed results. It originally released in 1986, and retroed for the first time in 2002. The Charles Barkley-worn, 76ers-inspired white, red and royal blue high-top was the first pair retroed, and sold at a retail for $65. Thanks to limited allocation, the sneaker became somewhat sought after. Various colorways would continue to drop that year, with the Air Force 2 Low making its retro debut in 2003.

There was a shift between limited and general release colorways for the first half of 2003. Pairs such as ‘The Dirty,’ ‘Hectic,’ ‘LA’ and ‘Raptors’ came and went, but the majority of the general releases could be found later in the year on sales racks everywhere.

At the time, the Air Force 1 was still everyone’s preferred go-to sneaker, especially in all-black and all-white. Regardless, fans of the Air Force 2 seemed to be happy with what Nike had released up to that point.

Then in 2004, a collaborative pair known as the ‘ESPO’ edition dropped.

Created by graffiti artist Stephen Powers, the ‘ESPO’ Nike Air Force 2 Low was a part of Nike’s Artist Series that year, alongside the Pharrell-designed Dunk High and the Halle Berry-designed Rift. The clear plastic accents on the upper, full translucent sole, graffiti detailing and matching socks made this pair the most coveted of the three releases, and the most hyped Air Force 2 ever.

After a two-year run with over 20 colorways released, Nike scaled back on the launches for the next few years. Only a handful of colorways were released, many forgotten about almost as soon as they came out. They would wind back in in Nike’s archives for a few years, until Nike Sportswear resurrected them again in 2009. This marked the second retro run of the Air Force 2, and it came with a $30 price increase.

Even with a few premium editions kicking off their return, such as the ‘Atari’ and ‘Wii’ versions, the Air Force 2 fell under the radar of most, even with hype from the Air Force 1 dying down. Exclusive colorways dropped in Europe and Japan, which fans of the AF2 seemed to admire more than what launched stateside (which is usually the case with Euro and Co.jp releases). While they may not necessarily be very hyped, these are not easy to come by today.With over five years passing since it was last available, could the Air Force 2 be ready for a comeback?

The original Air Jordans aren’t the only example of a retro flying under the radar, only to come back strong at a later date. The Huarache Runner as well as the Tech Challenge II are two recent examples. Both failed to excite earlier in the 2000s, but have been amongst most popular retro silhouettes, period, over the past two years. It’s possible for the Air Force 2 to have a similar comeback - it just needs to be done properly.

The 2009 releases came from seemingly out of nowhere, with little fanfare celebrating its return. In contrast, when the Air Raid made its return last year, it was celebrated with a high profile collaboration with Pigalle. The year 2016 also presents an opportunity to coincide a potential retro release with the 30th anniversary of the sneaker. This might be one of the last good chances to resurrect this often-forgotten silhouette from Nike’s basketball archives. Here’s to hoping it gets the respect it deserves.

Nike Air Force 2 High '76ers'

2.

Style Code: 624006-142

Colorway: White/Royal Blue-Varsity Red

Year: 2002


Nike Air Force 2 High

4.

Style Code: 624006-172

Colorway: White/University Gold

Year: 2002


Nike Air Force 2 High

6.

Style Code: 624006-143

Colorway: White/Columbia Blue

Year: 2002


Nike Air Force 2 High

8.

Style Code: 624006-144

Colorway: White/College Navy-Metallic Silver

Year: 2002


Nike Air Force 2 High

10.

Style Code: 624006-401

Colorway: Obsidian/Neutral Grey

Year: 2002


Nike Air Force 2 High

12.

Style Code: 624006-012

Colorway: Black/White-Sport Royal

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 High 'Escape'

14.

Style Code: 624006-101

Colorway: White/Black-Greenend Brown

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 High

16.

Style Code: 624006-102

Colorway: White/Metallic Silver-Black

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'The Dirty'

18.

Style Code: 305602-611

Colorway: New Red/White-Del Sol

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low

20.

Style Code: 305602-161

Colorway: White/Varsity Red-Black-Del Sol

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'Hectic'

22.

Style Code: 306140-171

Colorway: White/Goldenrod-Mystic Teal

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low

24.

Style Code: 305602-131

Colorway: White/Celtic-Black

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'LA'

26.

Style Code: 305602-151

Colorway: White/Court Purple-Del Sol

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low

28.

Style Code: 305602-141

Colorway: White/Blue Ribbon-Metallic Silver

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'Raptors'

30.

Style Code: 305602-162

Colorway: White/Varsity Purple-Sport Red

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low

32.

Style Code: 305602-001

Colorway: Black/Medium Grey

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'FSU'

34.

Style Code: 305602-171

Colorway: White/Del Sol-Team Red

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'Michigan'

36.

Style Code: 305602-471

Colorway: College Navy/Varsity Maize-White

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'Syracuse'

38.

Style Code: 305602-181

Colorway: White/Orange Flash-Obsidian

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low

40.

Style Code: 305602-111

Colorway: White/White-Neutral Grey

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 High

42.

Style Code: 624006-161

Colorway: White/Varsity Red-Metallic Silver

Year: 2003


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'Espo'

44.

Style Code: 308417-901

Colorway: Clear/Greystone-University Blue

Year: 2004


Nike Air Force 2 High

46.

Style Code: 624006-061

Colorway: Black/Varsity Red-White

Year: 2004


Nike Air Force 2 High 'Knicks'

48.

Style Code: 624006-181

Colorway: White/Orange Blaze-Sport Royal

Year: 2004


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'Round Mound'

50.

Style Code: 305602-143

Colorway: White/Blue Ribbon-New Red

Year: 2004


Nike Air Force 2 High 'NYC'

52.

Style Code: 624006-081

Colorway: Black/Orange Blaze-Sport Royal

Year: 2004


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'Steelers'

54.

Style Code: 305602-101

Colorway: White/Black-Pro Gold

Year: 2004


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'Seahawks'

56.

Style Code: 305602-132

Colorway: White/Foliage-Sport Royal

Year: 2004


Nike Air Force 2 Low 'Raiders'

58.

Style Code: 305602-102

Colorway: White/Black-Metallic Silver-Neutral Grey

Year: 2004