There are various stages of being a sneakerhead. For my generation, it usually started with COVID-driven curiosity and ended with a partner getting fed up with your large collection of sneakers, putting it as an ultimatum of her or the shoes. She’ll win. But if you really get into the hobby, somewhere in the middle you will start getting curious about the limited regional releases from years before you were interested, shoes that people don’t talk about anymore but are really incredible.

Before online reseller platforms like StockX, GOAT, or eBay, and social media platforms like Instagram, these limited international releases would be unavailable to those outside of the country. An American sneakerhead might never hear about them unless there was a Japanese expatriate on a forum like NikeTalk. Sneaker resale shops or boutiques would even have employees fly out to Europe and Japan to bring back region-limited shoes to sell to the American consumer. The 2022 Union LA x Nike “Passport Pack” Dunks were inspired by this very history.

One of the most sought-after of these was the Co.JP Japan-exclusive series made to celebrate Japan’s unique love of Nike. This started with the 1999 “Ultraman” and “Reverse Ultraman” Dunks, inspired by the signature Japanese science-fiction character. The hype only built further for their second release and the most beloved of the group, the Air Force 1 Linen. Released in 2001, the shoes featured a tan leather upper, pastel pink swoosh and outsole, and white liner, laces, and midsole. They had exactly what a shoe needed to be desired: a limited release in a beautiful, distinct colorway that was nearly impossible to find in America.

For real “shoedogs” who came up in the NikeTalk days, the Linen was a beloved pair of sneakers. When Ronnie Fieg of Kith brought back the pair in a limited run for Art Basel in 2016, it was a special moment. Fieg came from this clique, and he said at the time, “The Linen is my favorite shoe, period.” This re-release was limited, in top-quality leather, and felt special as well.

Which is why it’s rather strange that Nike re-released them again this year as a standard Nike release. They were made in large quantities and are so widely available that they’re sitting on retailer shelves in London. That is the sneakerhead equivalent of being able to buy Fabergé eggs at Costco for $100 a pop, and they’re selling slowly. It’s odd, but it doesn’t make the shoes any worse.

The leather quality isn’t up to snuff with the originals or the Kith version, but the re-release is not far off, and they are some of the most beautiful shoes you can wear. The packaging isn’t special, and neither are the lace options — you just get white — but that combination of light brown, pastel pink, and white is as stylish as when they first released.

At a time when Nike has been hiking the prices on standard white-on-white Air Force 1s while dumping the quality, $135 for a pair this stylish, with this great history and high material quality, is a steal.