Paris – Global sportswear giant Nike has teamed up with Paris-based creative collective Air Afrique to release the Air Max RK61, a new silhouette set to launch worldwide on October 9 through SNKRS and select retailers.
The design, which merges heritage and innovation, draws inspiration from diasporic traditions of returning home dressed in one’s finest attire. It combines Nike’s Air Max technology with sartorial elegance, creating a shoe that blends comfort with cultural legacy.
Named after Air Afrique’s original flight code “RK” and its founding year, 1961, the Air Max RK61 pays tribute to the historic airline that once connected West African nations and the diaspora. Design features include a jet engine-inspired Air Max unit, morse code spelling out “Air Afrique” on the outsole, a zipper pull with the airline’s original logo, and a jacquard sock liner resembling aircraft seats.
Ahmadou-Bamba Thiam, a member of the Air Afrique collective, said the idea of “Air” guided the design, both as a symbol of movement and as a metaphor for cultural elevation. Lead designer Jupiter Desphy added that the shoe was created to honour the airline’s history while making its story accessible to new generations through design.
The Première Classe campaign accompanying the release features Afro-diasporic icons including football legend Didier Drogba, Malian singer Oumou Sangaré, sprinter Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith, and Mme Daba Traoré, a former Air Afrique employee. Their involvement reflects the intergenerational impact of diasporic excellence across sport and culture.
The Air Max RK61 builds on Nike and Air Afrique’s first collaboration, the Air Afrique Football Club campaign, extending the collective’s mission of using art and design to preserve and reimagine Afro-diasporic heritage.
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