Nike Air Force 1 Animal Swoosh Review

By Anthony Levine, longtime sneaker collector.

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I hadn’t grabbed a pair of Air Force 1s since the Hong Kong AF1 retros a couple years ago. Enter the Nike Air Force 1 Animal Swoosh.

Nike Air Force 1 Animal Swoosh WDYWT On Feet

At the time of writing this article I’ve only seen these at overseas retailers or on eBay – End clothing was calling these the “gel” AF1s for some reason.

These come in a regular black Air Force 1 box and ship with flat white laces. The swooshes are mismatched with alternating snake and cheetah printed pony hair swooshes. The swooshes differ from inside and outside facing parts of each shoe as well as from shoe to shoe.

I had sworn off AF1s for being too bulky and sold all my old pairs. Then suddenly the spark was reignited with these! I definitely recommend these for a low key wild twist on the classic white AF1.

How Are The Materials?

The bulk of these are leather, and the quality does seem to be on point! In my opinion the leather is finished with a little too much tumble but otherwise feels soft while still being somewhat thick. The snakeskin is very shiny and looks really cool while the pony hair is as nice as any other animal-haired sneaker I own. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the level of materials. One weird addition is the clear plastic piece over the backtab. This may be where End got the “gel” nickname from.

How Do They Fit?

The Nike Air Force 1 Animal Swoosh fit big like all Air Force 1s. I went true to size for the typical roomy fit. The comfort is definitely there since these are basically platforms for men, with plenty of midsole between the wearer and the ground. The only downside to the AF1 fit is that the sneaker is slightly heavy for a low top, but nothing that can’t be gotten used to.

Where To Cop the Nike Air Force 1 Animal Swoosh

See below for links to get both pairs from the pack!