NIGO & BTS' j-hope to Release Nike Air Force 1 Collab by Holiday 2026

Tomoaki Nagao (長尾 智明)—better known across the globe as NIGO (ニゴー)—continues to invite friends to collaborate on the Nike Air Force 1. After reimagining the iconic silhouette he once copied as head of A BATHING APE® with longtime collaborator Jun Takahashi, the Japanese multi-hyphenate will work with South Korea's j-hope.

According to Romania's Sneaker Market outlet and X user @brandon1an, the world-famous member of BTS will help NIGO and NIKE, Inc. close out the year with a "Burnt Sunrise" Air Force 1 '01. The silhouette is expected to arrive in a patent leather makeover that sees a medley of "Metallic Gold/Taupe/Chlorine Blue/Arctic Punch/Sail" colors. Co-branding should also appear across the sneaker, its packaging, and campaign visuals.

Despite the 23-year age gap between the South Korean popstar (32) and KENZO Artistic Director (55), the two have developed a friendship and mutual admiration over the years. In November 2025, j-hope and NIGO collaborated on the HUMAN HOPE Collection under the latter's HUMAN MADE brand.

More recently, the BTS member visited the Design Museum's NIGO: From Japan with Love exhibit in London.

The "Burnt Sunrise" Air Force 1 won't be the first time j-hope works with the Swoosh. On May 28, the North American sportswear company announced a first-of-its kind collaboration with BTS. Although the project, which granted fans a Nike By You customization experience to accompany the ARIRANG BTS World Tour, was a project with the collective, it included j-hope.

NIGO's relationship with the 32-year-old artist, however, will bring the standalone j-hope brand to an Air Force 1.

Stay tuned for firm Nike SNKRS release details. The collaboration between NIGO and j-hope is expected to release between November and December. It's likely the "Burnt Sunrise" AF-1 sneaker is accompanied by NIGO x j-hope apparel and accessories.

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