Ras Martin has created sneakers in the past that represent the blurring of human and animal instincts and characteristics. Martin has turned to the crane as an inspiration for his latest pair of shoes called the Air Force Cranes. The designer references the myriad crane positions used in martial arts including the Fujian White Crane style favored in southern China.

The left shoe features images of a crane including an upclose image of the crane’s head on the interior side. The right shoe has images of martial artists engaged in crouching positions with contorted hand positions that look like silhouettes of crane heads. Ras Martin did not feel that the space between both shoes meant that the human and animal elements needed to be separated. Both toe boxes feature human and swan features that create a unified narrative for these Air Force Ones.

Ras Martin has posted a bunch of Air Force Cranes photos in his latest entry on Nike Talk linked here. The detailed imagery applied to these sneakers should be examined from multiple angles for a full appreciation of Ras Martin’s work.

Tags: Air Force Ones, crane, Custom Sneakers, Nike, Ras Martin