It Has To Be All White - My First Pair of Air Force 1's

Growing up in Singapore, you had really rigid uniform rules when going to school.

There was the obvious stuff with school uniforms; you had to tuck your shirt in, wear a tie, crisp shirts with collar down.

You had to have your hair a certain length. So there were no crazy haircuts or sweet fades, everyone had it nicely cropped all round at a number 2.

Every morning, we’d have a school wide assembly where all students would sit in rows. School prefects would then walk down the rows and check everyone’s uniform. If all wasn’t in order, you’d be pulled up to the front of the school and have a conversation with the Headmaster...

Me and a couple of friends.

Then you had our kicks.

We had to have white shoes. No two ways about it. So most kids would have white Bata shoes - a footwear brand out of the Czech Republic.

This is a real excerpt from the school rules of a Primary School in Singapore:

Footwear

Students should wear plain white shoes that provide support for sporting activities (e.g. white canvas or white track shoes).

Doll shoes or leather shoes are not allowed.

Only shoes with shoelaces and Velcro fasteners are allowed.

Only plain white socks that cover the ankles are permitted.

So for the kids that were a little better off, they would sport some pretty sweet sneakers in all white colourways. A number of us would always look on longingly when kids with sweet kicks would walk by.

The sneaker that sticks in mind were the white Nike Air Force 1’s - high tops. 

Not a high top - but you get the picture.

See, for as long as they have been a part of culture, sneakers have dictated status and class. As a kid, the heat on your feet reflected how cool you were; the circles you ran in; the kinda life you led.

So when I finally got my first job at Coles years later - now in Australia after immigrating with my family at age 10 - the first pair of sneakers I ever bought were the white Nike Air Force 1’s.

And yeah you guessed it, the high tops.

But I didn’t go out and grab em’ as a middle finger to the kids that could afford them back in school.

The AF1’s were the first pair of sneakers I ever bought for myself because even after all these years, they’ve held up and my appreciation for their design hasn’t changed.

The lovely white on white leather, the iconic Nike swoosh and the crispy upper velcro strap.

FILTHY CLEAN.

I don’t know if I would’ve appreciated the AF1’s had I been wearing them around school, getting them bust up while running around with the boys.

There was something special about finally getting my hands on them all these years later; with my own money and admittedly - a little chip on my shoulder.