In 2004 the sneaker game was kicking butt and taking names. There were hot releases dropping left and right sometimes with no advance notice at all. What kept the game really interesting was that foreign exclusives were releasing under the radar leaving hardcore collectors at the mercy of their international relations and net scouring skills. There weren’t nearly as many sneaker blogs 5 years ago as there are now, so getting the drop on such releases wasn’t nearly as easy as it is today. One of the most notorious types of foreign exclusive releases was the France Exclusive. The usual suspect for such exclusives AF1’s was Courir, which became the nickname for most of the rare Nike Air Force 1’s to drop at that chain of french boutiques.  Nike teamed with Courir on several occassions to bring you such classics as the Black / White & Gum bottom AF1’s (often called the “Courir I’s” as well as the “Bamboo” AF1’s and the “Barcode” AF1’s. However few people remember the 2nd Courir Exclusive AF1 which is pictured above.

This AF1 features a nubuck and tumbled leather outer mix while using a great low key colorway: Chino, Baroque Brown, and White. What is most notable about these Courir’s is that most of the shoe is Chino nubuck! A very delicate color/material combination demanding these only be worn on special occassions with a “3 foot rule” strictly enforced and a thick sheen of ScotchGuard! Although this sneaker is somewhat of a sleeper due to its subdued tones, any true collector knows the real story behind these and is immediately impressed by their exclusivity.