crooked tongues magazine News Features

Camo and a sneaker is a killer combination when it’s delivered correctly, but we’re seeing the same kind of executions delivered in the same colours again and again to the point when the camouflage is proving effective — they’re invisible on the shelves, merging into the rest. We couldn’t understand the fuss around the recent VT camo XXX edition of the Nike Air Force 1 either — it just felt like a less remarkable takedown of Mayor’s Bespoke from a couple of years back. These High Frequency Digital Camouflage editions of the Uptown are far, far better, just because they deliver a digital pattern in a tactile way, with shades of Tetris to that upper. It’s definitely a different way of looking at the shoe and while we think the increasingly rare Nitraid 1 World colourway’s digi camo take (that we’re sure was based on a photo of some high grade) is the best digi-looking AF1, these are something completely new.

The High Frequency application seems to operate like some kind of sonic welding process to apply plenty of material for a 3D effect with a mix of MARPAT and CADPAT (the Canadians released their digital pattern just before the US MARPAT in the early 2000s, but it was tested in the late 1990s) looks and a snow-camo like mix of white and shades of grey. Of course, the reflective Scotchlite application in the mess of texture would probably be a bad addition to army fatigues if you were looking to hide, but it gives these a whole different dimension when the flashlight hits them. These are a solid addition to the white-on-white 3Ms and Black Denim 30th anniversary takes, but crucially, they’re a progressive take on something that deserves much more exploration than the same patterns and trio of greens and blacks. We’re glad that these have got proper sole units too, so hopefully the RRP won’t be quite as ludicrous as some recent Forces. Keep an eye on 1948 and Footpatrol for an impending UK drop of these…