The Nike Air Force 1 is no stranger to the occasional Italian-made makeover, rolling out both High and Low Lux styles in 2003 before circling back again in 2007 for the model’s 25th anniversary, plus more recent Louis Vuitton collaborations if that counts. With quality and craftsmanship now high on consumers’ priority lists, it’s prime time for another return to that well.
Here we get a new Made in Italy women’s style featuring some fairly dramatic panel changes. The toe, quarter, and heel are reworked into a single continuous piece of black patent leather, punctuated by debossed mini Swooshes on each side. The rear features a subtle reptilian skin print, recalling a Made in Italy grail in the Air Force 1 Lux “Crocodile” from 2007. The backtab is finished without visible stitching along the bottom, while a black leather tongue, tongue tag, and toe box round out the premium theme.
The shoe’s Made in Italy construction justifies a $600 price tag, steep to be sure, but far less than previous Made in Italy Air Force 1s that retailed for as much as $2,000. That naturally means expectations should be tempered, but it should still deliver a level of quality and craftsmanship well above your standard general release.
This all comes as Nike has actually done a solid job “restoring the feeling” around the Air Force 1, led by an upcoming patent pack, Nike SB iterations, and multiple recent/upcoming GRs that have managed to get the streets talking. Concerns over quality were a major factor behind the Air Force 1’s recent lull, so revisiting the Made in Italy program feels like a sensible way to address those concerns, even if only as a one-off.
The Nike Air Force 1 Low “Made in Italy – Croc Skin” doesn’t have a release date yet, but a Spring/Summer 2026 launch seems most likely at this point. Women’s sizing will be available for $600 USD. See official images below and stay tuned for further updates.
