Nike and Paris-based collective Air Afrique have unveiled the Air Max RK61, a hybrid dress shoe-sneaker that merges heritage, innovation and cultural storytelling.
Named after the original Air Afrique airline’s flight code and founding year, the RK61 draws from moccasin tailoring and the Air Max SNDR, pairing an elegant upper with Nike’s Air cushioning. Aviation-inspired details include a jet engine–like Air unit, morse code spelling “Air Afrique” on the outsole, a zipper pull featuring the airline’s logo and a jacquard sock liner modelled after vintage aircraft seats.
On the collaboration, Ahmadou-Bamba Thiam, a member of the Air Afrique collective and editor of its magazine, explained: “The notion of Air is deeply connected to our history: Air Afrique, the airline itself, took to the skies to transcend cultures and newly independent African people. We also speak of Air as a symbolic, metaphorical elevation through culture and humanity. This concept was really our starting point for the product design and was central to creating the elegant silhouette of the Air Max RK61.”
The launch extends Air Afrique’s partnership with Nike, following last year’s Air Afrique Football Club campaign. Revived in 2021 as a creative collective, Air Afrique channels the airline’s legacy of cultural patronage into a platform for Afro-diasporic expression through art, film, and design.
The new silhouette is introduced via the Première Classe campaign, styled like early 20th-century travel advertising. It features figures spanning sport and culture—including Didier Drogba, Oumou Sangaré, Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith and former Air Afrique employee Mme Daba Traoré.
Check out imagery in the gallery above and head to SNKRS to purchase from 9th October.
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