The New England Patriots have their home blues ready to go for all the world to see on Monday Night Football.
On their feet, that is.
The newest edition of the Patriots Air Force 1 Flyknit was released on Monday, making for the eighth collaboration with Nike on the signature sneaker. As has been tradition, proceeds from the limited release will benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston.
"As people are coming fully back into the stadium, we wanted to give people something that was really exciting and makes them feel like they're part of the community," said Raleigh Willard, the footwear technical developer at Nike in charge of the project.
"To make that come to life is with a lot of inspiration drawn from the jerseys."
The color of the AF1s are Patriot blue, just like the current navy home uniforms. The topline separating that fabric from the white sole is red, reminiscent of the bold striping on the jersey shoulder and down the side of the pants.
Featured on the heel of the shoe is flying Elvis, the primary mark of the Patriots, and the team's trademark slogan, "We Are All Patriots," is woven on the tongue. The shoes come with red, white, and blue laces so fans can change the look in the same way the players swap out home and away uniforms.
Nike drew many cues from the home jerseys, tying in themes of the camaraderie that fandom and philanthropy bring along. Of course, no New England sneaker would be complete without subtle references to the team's six Super Bowl championships.
The lace deubré features "R.K.K." the initials of Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, laser etched on a chrome painting as a nod to the Lombardi trophies. Six stars embroidered on the u-throat of the sneaker and etched onto the lace aglets represent each title won by the franchise.
"It nods back to the great successes," Willard said. "Obviously, you can't talk about the Patriots without talking about the six Super Bowls."
Just like every great season the Patriots have had in their history, designing and developing the Patriots AF1 took a team of individuals doing their job. It takes a group just about as big as a football roster to make a shoe fit for an NFL team, too.
"A lot of Nike products will say, 'Engineered to the exact specifications of championship athletes,'" said Willard. "On the inside of the tongue, these say, 'Engineered to the exact specifications of New England Patriots fans."
View a gallery of the 2022 Patriots Air Force 1 below.
Check out photos of the 2022 Patriots Nike Air Force 1 Flyknit sneakers, which were sold at the Patriots ProShop on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.
