When Bruce Kilgore’s Air Force 1 first stepped onto the court in 1982, it was celebrated as a rugged basketball shoe. Over four decades later, Nike takes that inherent toughness and upgrades it into full-fledged weatherproofing armor with the arrival of the Nike Air Force 1 Mid '07 GORE-TEX Vibram Black/Smoke Grey.

Nike has previously released GORE-TEX-lined Forces, but equipping the mid-top silhouette with an Italian-engineered Vibram outsole elevates it into genuine mountain-grade territory.

Dressed in a stealthy, pitch-black colorway with subtle Smoke Grey accents, the mid-top profile brings an aggressive, militaristic character to your rotation. 

The construction features a durable, full-grain black leather upper underlaid with a fully waterproof GORE-TEX membrane designed to seal out rain, sleet, and snow. An adjustable ankle strap locks down the padded mid-cut collar, while debossed GORE-TEX branding at the heel and a metallic dubrae serve as subtle seals of weather-ready approval.

The classic Air Force 1 midsole houses encapsulated Nike Air cushioning but there’s an upgrade to the outsole. Down below, standard rubber tread is replaced with a heavy-duty, lugged Vibram rubber outsole engineered for maximum bite on wet, icy, or slick surfaces.

Combining full-grain leather with the kind of technical prowess of GORE-TEX and Vibram is a master stroke here. It balances aesthetics with pure function to create a shoe that will be getting heavy wear during the depths of winter.

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