Skip to main content

Nike and Air Afrique blur the lines between dress shoe and sneaker

Nike and Air Afrique merge dress shoes with performance features

By Leslie Leon Published September 20, 2025

man wearing air max rk61 shoes — Nike

The hybrid shoe trend continues to thrive, and brands aren’t holding back. In a new collaboration, Nike partners with Air Afrique, a Paris-based creative collective, to create a hybrid dress shoe and sneaker that combines heritage, innovation, and creativity with the trend. Fusing Nike’s Air technology with the classic dress shoe silhouette, the latest Nike launch pays homage to the airline industry and diasporic heritage.

With subtle nods to Nike’s sportier brand, the collaboration delivers a different kind of hybrid shoe. Rather than clearly fusing two styles of shoes into one design, the collaborative shoe offers a dress shoe appearance with the feel and construction of a performance sneaker. Named Air Max RK61, the design pays tribute to the original Air Afrique airline’s founding year of 1961. The historic airline made headlines at the time for connecting West African nations and the diaspora. With plenty of meaning, creativity, and style, this collaborative shoe is nothing short of a creative mastermind.

Nike and Air Afrique bring the hybrid shoe trend to life with the Air Max RK61

Inspiration for the new Air Max RK61 derives from different moccasin styles and the classic Air Max SNDR, resulting in an elevated shoe that includes the performance features you need. Sleek uppers take center stage of the design with the Air Max unit serving as a compliment rather than a contrast. Inspired by jet engines, the Air unit appears natural and in a monochromatic tone, making the entire design seem intentional and classic. Other details that pay homage to aviation include a Morse code message spelling “Air Afrique” on the outsole and a zipper pull that features the original airline logo. As well, the jacquard sock liner serves as a reminder of vintage aircraft seats. With a campaign that features 20th-century athletes in a retro airline setting, the Air Afrique and Nike collaboration is timeless from all around. The Air Max RK61 will be available in timeless black and white colorways starting on October 9 via the brand’s SNRKS app and select retail partners.

Leslie is a Los Angeles-based writer and content creator. After attaining a bachelor's degree in journalism from California…

Topics

Footwear

Fashion & Style

Look to the sky for these space themed watches

These 5 space themed watches will have you seeing stars

Accessories, Strap, Wristwatch

It was the 1960s. We were in the middle of a Cold War with Russia, and instead of escalating to an actual war with bullets and bombs, we took the conflict to the sky. We created a war of economics, science, and morale in a race to the sky to be the first nation to reach the moon. While the race picked up throughout the decade, it came down to the wire before the USA won the race by landing on the moon (if you believe that sort of thing and don't believe Stanley Kubrick directed the greatest ruse of all time). In any case, no race can be run without a good timekeeper. And watches were a must-have for all involved. Ever since, chronophiles like me have been obsessed with space-themed watches and, in particular, moon mission watches.

That is why I happened to have this list in my head. Five watches that bring the space race and the great beyond to the forefront of thinking to build a collection that is out of this world.

Fashion & Style

Legendary designer has a project coming up you may not know about

Legendary designer, Tom Ford, is writing and directing a film adapting the Anne Rice novel, Cry to Heaven

Accessories, Formal Wear, Tie

Tom Ford is a name that every fashionisto knows well. He is the top of the top when you talk about famous suit makers. He began his career changing the landscape of multiple brands, including Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, before launching his own self-named brand of his own in 2005. The brand has remained a mainstay in the industry for the last 20 years, including the acquisition of Estée Lauder in 2022 for an estimated $2.8 billion. For the movie buffs in the room, you also likely know about Tom Ford because he became the exclusive tailor and suitmaker for Daniel Craig's James Bond for Quantum of Solace in 2008. He carried that gig all the way through the series and defined men's style for two decades.

Now, for the real cinephiles in the room, you may also know that Tom Ford himself is a movie buff and entered the industry as a writer and a director in 2009 by directing A Single Man with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Then again in 2016 with Nocturnal Animals with Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon. Of course, the wardrobe was stellar in both, and we will get a chance to see his talents onscreen again this fall with a new Anne Rice adaptation, Cry to Heaven.

Fashion & Style

The ‘Dad Reset’ is on the horizon: Megan Collins leads the charge

Men are taking ownership over what they wear and the founder of Style Girlfriend is here to help

Person, Sitting, Adult

One of the most frustrating moments in any man's style journey is when your wardrobe starts to feel stale. No matter what you do, you feel like everything you put on is old, boring, or tired. You try to switch it up. You pair it differently. It just lost its luster. The truth is, it happens to all of us. But the people who struggle with it the most are middle-aged men. With a specific focus on dads. Middle-aged men are too young to resign themselves to not caring about their look anymore. They are too old to dive into the trends with the changing of the fashion winds. So many of them throw in the towel. Add to that overwhelming feeling being a busy father, and there is just no way to spend the time and energy on rebuilding a wardrobe. That is where Megan Collins comes in. Her business, Style Girlfriend, takes men and restores their confidence from the ground up with new, elevated, and evolved stylistic choices.

When you have one outfit you love, you wear it. When you wear it, you notice how much better you feel. Then, you want another outfit that gives you that same feeling. That's how confidence builds. Not all at once, but one good decision at a time. - Megan Collins, Founder, Style Girlfriend