Last Tuesday night, I was doing some late night e-window shopping and ended up stuck on the 2014 Lunar Force 1 Lux BHM (Black History Month) Collection. Why they caught my attention may or may not be worth a long, drawn out explanation other than they did. For lack of a better description, they looked rich and royal, a strong shoe overall. For some reason, I left my browser open, a tab for the BHMs still up Wednesday morning when I came online. So, I stared at them a bit more before I was disturbed by the FedEx fairy ringing the doorbell.
With her, she held a box from Nike Chicago that contained *drumroll* the Lunar Force 1 Lux ‘BHM,’ aka the same kicks I’d been eyeballing for well over 12 hours. That, ladies and gents, is what may be considered as kismet.
In person, they’re even more regal than what pictures are able to show. Since all shoes seem to come with a quirky nickname, ‘Black Panthers’ might be most appropriate here. The premium suede and pigskin nubuck upper is soft and supple, a throwback to the good stuff that AF1s and Nike, in general, were known for during the ’90s and ’00s.
The midsole jumps out as well a.) because it’s full Lunarlon FTW! and b.) iridescent, shifting colors from purple to green depending on the lighting. Part of the illest details come from BHM lace tag and the reflective trim graphics tracing along the eye-stay and on the ankle strap. That aspect may not jump out at first in daylight but it makes itself known at night (click here to peep it).
Breaking down the whole cultural significance tied to the shoe is a given since Nike’s been running their BHM Collection yearly for some time now. The ever-evolving print graphic gets a nice twist as it always does. The collection simultaneously reflects back while moving to the present and future since 100% of net proceeds – up to $1 million – generated by the 2014 BHM Collection during the month of February go to the new Nike Ever Higher Fund, a national public charity.
I got with Cakemaster again to shoot some photos and we had a lot of fun trying to capture the full beauty of these. For best results, shoot down to your NSW retailer to cop or order a pair online. Strong shoe to have in the rotation.
Thanks to our friends from Nike Sportswear and Nike Chicago for holding me down.
