j-hope of BTS has worked with Japanese designer Nigo on a new Nike Air Force 1, released globally on October 22, 2026. Based on a slimmer 2001 version of the shoe, the collaboration combines glossy orange and gold with blue details, unusual laces and personal squirrel motifs. The design also connects with memories of the white sneakers he wore while beginning to dance.
j-hope brings his personal style to a familiar sneaker through a collaboration with Nigo and Nike. Their Air Force 1 combines bright color, glossy materials and small symbols linked with the musician, while retaining a silhouette drawn from the model’s archive. The official worldwide release on October 22 follows an earlier limited launch, opening a project already introduced to fans earlier in the month.
The collaboration was officially announced on October 8, with an initial release through Nigo’s Human Made on October 17. Its wider arrival through Nike and selected retailers came five days later. Those separate dates mark different stages of availability for the same collaboration, rather than a second design announcement or an additional partnership introduced on the global launch day.
The chosen Air Force 1 ’01 uses a slimmer version of the silhouette presented in 2001. Nigo returned to that shape as the base for a design made with j-hope, keeping the recognizable construction while changing its surface dramatically. The result draws attention first through color and finish, with smaller personal references appearing as viewers look more closely at the shoe.
Burnt Sunrise and Metallic Gold supply the main orange and gold tones across glossy leather. Chlorine Blue details create a strong contrast, emphasizing selected parts of the design and the familiar Nike mark. The finish reflects light differently from the plain white version associated with everyday wear, making the material itself an important part of the collaboration’s visual identity.
j-hope singled out that combination when discussing the project. He liked the relationship between Nigo’s colors and the shiny surface, and also highlighted the unusual laces. Their patterns contribute to the appearance alongside the leather, rather than disappearing into the background as a purely practical part. The details reflect a shared design process rather than a name added to an otherwise unchanged model.
Squirrel motifs on the heel and insole make a more personal connection with j-hope and the nickname associated with him. They give listeners familiar with his public identity another point of recognition. The playful details also fit the colorful approach often called hobicore, a term used around his fashion choices and the way contrasting elements appear together in his wardrobe.
His relationship with the Air Force 1 began well before an official Nike collaboration. In the interview accompanying the launch, he remembered wearing white pairs when he started dancing, using them until they were thoroughly worn out. Seeing a version shaped by his own participation brought those early experiences back into view, connecting a familiar piece of rehearsal clothing with his present creative work.
Dance has remained central to his musical identity, from the South Korean scene he joined before worldwide recognition to performances with BTS and his solo recordings. For j-hope, the shoe therefore carries more than an association with current fashion. It recalls the period when repeated practice and physical movement formed the beginning of the career audiences now know through concerts and videos.
Nigo approaches the project through a different but connected history. As the founder of A Bathing Ape and Human Made, he helped shape Japanese streetwear while drawing on older clothing, footwear and music references. His collaborations with Pharrell Williams and other artists reflect a longstanding relationship between his design work and hip-hop culture, making a music-led sneaker project part of a wider creative practice.
The designer praised his collaborator as somebody able to carry culture between generations. He also described personal feeling within the design, emphasizing that it would not have emerged in the same way had he worked alone. That acknowledgment places the musician’s participation within the creative process itself, alongside the visual language and archival interests Nigo brought to the project.
The shoe is part of Nigo’s Air Force 1 World Tour, which revisits forms from Nike’s archive through different collaborations and personal references. The original model dates to 1982, when it began as basketball footwear. Its later life in music videos and street fashion gave it a place in hip-hop and youth culture extending far beyond the court where its history started.
Outside BTS, j-hope’s recordings include Jack in the Box and Hope on the Street Vol. 1, while his fashion work includes a Louis Vuitton ambassador role. The Nike design concerns his participation as an individual rather than a collective BTS product. Asked whom he wanted to see wearing it, he named the other members and the fans who had supported him.
The Greek Nike launch listing placed the shoe at €149.99 for its October 22 release. The defining elements remain the 2001 line, the orange-and-gold glossy finish and the personal details developed by the two collaborators. Behind that appearance sits the memory the musician chose to share: white shoes worn through during dance practice, returning years later in a version he helped create.
