Here's What You Need to Know About the Concepts x Nike Air Max 1 Collab

Every now and then a shoe comes along that blows any other collab out of the water. In such a saturated and competitive industry, brands have to set out time and time again to make sure their products don’t fly under the radar. One collab that certainly won’t be doing this though, is the Concepts x Nike Air Max 1 "Mellow Pack." Dressed up in a plethora of prints and mish-mash of materials, these loud sneakers each reference styles of music you'd hear at a festival. The designs celebrate the music, culture and style of the late 60s - hence the mix of materials and prints that decorate the uppers.

Peeping at the Concepts x Nike Air Max 1 “Wild Violet,” it’s hard to know just where to start. Coming dressed with a blue denim base, the shoe’s colourful overlays start with a purple paisley panel that covers the mudguards. The “Wild Violet” Concepts AM1 then sees a red tongue and red laces tie up the front of the sneaker. At the heel, the paisley printed fabric appears once more, although this time it comes in green for added contrast. Above this, tribal print patterns take over the ankle, with CNCPTS branding woven into the design. A touch of orange corduroy surrounds the top eyelets, matching with the cow-print faux-fur at the bottom of the lace unit.

Of course, though, the real stars of the show are the patterned Nike Swooshes that sweep across the sides of the sneakers. On the lateral sides, the iconic Swoosh design features a series of horizontal stripes, in sunny day shades of green, yellow and sky blue. On the medial versions, the Swooshes bloom with embroidered flowers.

And so, we move on to the second pair, the Concepts x Nike Air Max 1 “Black Multi,” or "Heavy." The blue denim has been given a new acid-wash look, and the paisley-print mudguards have been replaced with a green and black camo. This time, the lacing unit comes in a more muted brown, and the cow-print faux fur takes on a darker shade too. The paisley print is brought back in orange to dress the heel, and the tribal pattern at the ankle comes in blue and red. The sunny day Swoosh colours have been swapped out for white, yellow and red stripes, and the multicoloured bouquet on the opposite side takes on darker tones.

Finally, we have the "Mellow" version. Previously referred to as "Olive Canvas," they feature a slightly more toned-down palette than the "Violet" and "Black" variations.

Finishing off the pairs, the CNCPTS x Nike Air Max 1s all feature white midsoles that comes topped with a rubber outsole. A special-edition matching box comes printed with a number of patterns that can be spotted on the shoes. It's rumoured that the collection will also feature a number of clothing styles, but we're yet to see these get revealed.

Sure, there’s a lot going on here. But isn’t that what a collector’s piece should be all-about? Although not the most wearable pairs in the world, we can see the CNCPTS "Mellow Pack" being a huge hit with sneakerheads and collectors when they drop. The Mellow pair hit the shelves at CNCPTS on March 5th, and the "Heavy" is rumoured to be dropping on March 12. A Nike SNKRS release is planned sometime in the coming weeks.

Up next, COMME des GARÇONS tease a brand-new Nike collab.