How Nike’s Tiffany AF1 collaboration bested AI
Anticipation ran high when news of a Tiffany & Co. x Nike Air Force 1 collaboration dropped, but as the first images of the shoe leaked, reception was harsh.
“Everything about this shoe is hideous.”
“Those accessories don’t make up the price and lack of creativity.”
“Yea they definitely fumbled.”
The shoe, a triple black AF1 that features a Tiffany blue swoosh and an understated silver back piece, was a surprise to many sneakerheads. Some whose experience of Tiffany is the eponymous blue box were disappointed with the all-black colorway and less obvious silver detail. Those familiar with the “black AF1 = criminals” meme were shocked that Nike would leverage such an unpopular colorway for a mainstream collab.
Instead of a simple roast of the shoe on Twitter, folks outsourced the shoe’s design to Dall-e, Midjourney, and other generative AI tools and “this is what we could have had” tweets quickly proliferated.
Now, the shoes created by AI are undeniably “Nike and Tiffany” collaborations. They’re drenched in Tiffany blue, choked in silver…. But they’re also garish, and difficult to imagine on a foot or paired with an outfit.
As Nike’s marketing trickled out, a story took shape. Carmelo Anthony in a beautiful black suit emerged as the face of the campaign. His grounded and effortless style reframed the black colorway as luxurious and intentional, paying homage to kids who wear black AF1s to formal events, and to the essential history of Black Nike fans who have elevated the AF1 to the status of cultural icon.
Of course Nike’s designers and marketers know the stereotype of black AF1s, as does Carmelo, who has said for the past year that he’s “going to bring the black AF1 back.” Nike took a colorway associated with criminality, deviousness, and undesirability, and rejected that story by pairing it with one of the most well-known and “ivory tower” jewelry brands.
The shoe’s design speaks to a cultural context that a tool like Midjourney will never comprehend. It demonstrates what’s beautiful about human decision making. Our ability to curate, reference, and champion the underdog. Stories can be reframed, histories unearthed.
It’s tempting to throw a prompt at Midjourney and call it a day, but with any of these AI models, what you’ll typically get is the “most similar” or “most obvious” or “most popular.” That might be satisfying initially, but that’s not going to necessarily resonate long-term. People will align with what they resonate with on a deeper level, even if its simpler, or more understated than the expectation.
The proof? The Tiffany x Nike forces sold out within minutes.
