Nike Air Force 1 Low ‘What The LA’ Is Coming Back for Holiday 2026

The Nike Air Force 1 Low ‘What The LA’ is set to return during Holiday 2026, giving sneaker fans another shot at a colorway that made a real impression when it first arrived in 2019.

Nike needs little introduction as the largest athletic footwear brand in the world. Founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports before becoming Nike in 1971, the brand has spent decades shaping sneaker culture through both performance innovation and lifestyle releases. Its ability to revisit beloved colorways and concepts has kept collectors engaged across generations.

The Air Force 1 is one of the most important silhouettes in that catalog. Designed by Bruce Kilgore and introduced in 1982 as the first basketball shoe to use Nike Air cushioning, it crossed over from the hardwood to the streets and never looked back. The low-top version in particular became a wardrobe staple far beyond basketball, and Nike has used it as a canvas for countless collaborations, city editions, and concept-driven colorways over the decades.

The ‘What The’ concept is a good example of that creative range. Nike has used the ‘What The’ idea across multiple silhouettes, typically combining elements from several different colorways of the same shoe into one chaotic, patchwork design. The ‘What The LA’ took a slightly different approach. Rather than remixing multiple existing colorways of the Air Force 1, the shoe drew inspiration from the visual culture and character of Los Angeles itself. It launched alongside a companion ‘What The NYC’ pair in 2019, with each shoe interpreting its city through its own palette and material choices. The two releases worked as a set but stood on their own as distinct, wearable tributes to two of the biggest sneaker markets in the country.

The Nike Air Force 1 Low ‘What The LA’ is expected to drop sometime during Holiday 2026. No price, exact release date, or style code has been confirmed at this point, so check back as more details surface. In the meantime, explore other Air Force 1 colorways or dig into Nike’s full lineup to see what else is on the way.

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Source: Sneaker Bar Detroit

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The Sneakers Team

The Sneakers Team is the editorial desk behind becausesneakers, founded and edited by Nick Engvall. Nick has spent more than two decades in the sneaker industry. He built the original Eastbay Blog, led the first dedicated sneaker team at Complex, ran the first UGC and seeding programs at Finish Line, was employee number nine at StockX, and served as Senior Director at Stadium Goods. He hosts the Sneaker History podcast, and his first book, Small Luxuries: Sneakers, arrives in October 2026 from Motorbooks. Release details on this site are checked against the brand's own product information before publication, and anything we cannot confirm is labelled rather than stated.

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