How do you lace Air Force 1 from the beginning?

Everyone thinks they know how to lace shoes, and it’s simple enough if you only care about getting from point A to B without your kicks slipping off. But lacing your shoes properly depends on what you’re trying to achieve with the sneakers on your feet. Different sneakers lace differently, and you wouldn’t lace a performance running shoe the same way you'd lace an athleisure sneaker.

With that in mind, we’ve taken a closer look at three different methods for how to lace shoes: when you want your shoes to look their best in photos; for comfort and so you can slip your kicks on and off with ease; and for sports such as running. Each technique has its pros and cons, and where we can, we’ve included pro tips to help you out.

What you need to lace your shoes:

Your sneakers Your laces Your hands

(Kind of obvious, really.)

Now, scroll on to see our step-by-step guide on how to lace shoes the right way.

Method 1: Aesthetic

Step 1: Start from scratch

Step 2: Lace up the first two eyelets

Put your laces through the first two eyelets, making sure the laces stay flat and facing up and away from the tongue.

Step 3: Crisscross to the top

Weave the laces in and out of the other eyelets, crisscrossing as you go. The pattern should be in through the top of the eyelet, across the tongue, and then back in through the top of the eyelet on the other side. Make sure your laces are facing up as you work and keep consistent whether the lace coming from one side crosses over or under the lace coming from the other side.

Step 4: Tongue loop

Keep going until you get to the loop in the tongue (if your shoes have one). Our tip here is to skip the tongue loop entirely because your laces will look cleaner. If you don’t believe us, wait until the side-by-side comparison.

Step 5: Final eyelets

Keep going until you reach the final eyelets. But this time, instead of going through the top of the eyelet, go through the bottom, from inside to out on both sides.

Method 2: Comfort

Step 1: Start from scratch

First, remove the laces.

Step 2: Lace your sneakers

Lace your sneakers the exact way we laced the Air Force 1s, just a lot looser.

Step 3: Pro tip

If you lace them with your foot already in the sneaker, you’ll be able to gauge how tight they need to be so they don’t slip off. Pulling the sides of the sneaker apart as you go also helps create a looser fit while giving the laces a natural look.

Step 4: Finishing touches

Once at the final eyelets, you have several options. You can leave your laces hanging slightly out of the last eyelets. You can tie your laces together loosely for a little more structure and compactness. Or you can tie small knots into the ends of the laces so they hold in place and don't loosen.

Method 3: Performance

Step 1: Start from scratch

First, remove the laces.

Step 2: Lace your sneakers

Your shoes are laced as they normally would be, crisscrossing the laces until you reach the second eyelet from the top.

Step 3: Final eyelets

Once at the second eyelet from the top, instead of crossing over again, put the laces through the top eyelet on the same side, forming a loop.

Step 4: Tongue loop

While we skipped the tongue loop previously, you’ll want to put your laces through it this time as it holds the tongue in place as you run.

Step 5: Tighten the loop

Pull each lace end across and through the loop you just created on the opposite side of each shoe.

Step 6: Tie your laces

Finally, tie your laces as you would normally. _

For an in-depth guide, watch the full video below:

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Trying to figure out how to lace Air Force 1s isn't as straightforward as it may seem.

Fortunately, we've put together a step-by-step guide to explain how you can lace up one of Nike's most popular models to ensure they fit securely on your feet. That said, we've also included a few alternative techniques to help you find a style that suits your personal taste.

This is particularly useful right now with summer coming to an end and Air Force 1s consistently featuring amongst some of the best sneakers for fall. However, everyday wear hasn't always been the Air Force 1s primary purpose.

Interestingly, the Air Force 1s originally debuted as some of the best basketball shoes around in 1982. However, after a slow start and a short hiatus, the Air Force 1s eventually transitioned into the ultimate lifestyle sneakers you see today.

So, whether you own a pair of the highly popular white Air Force 1 '07s, or you've managed to cop the new "Enamel Green" Mids and you're searching for a way to lace them, then we've got you covered with our top tips right here.

How To Lace Air Force 1s

The following is what we believe to be the most effective method of lacing your best Air Force 1s if you're looking to replicate the look seen in Nike's official sneaker photos.

We'll be focusing specifically on the low-top model in our guide; however, the same method can be applied to mid and high-top variations, like these "Our Force 1" Mids and Vintage "Sail" Highs, you'll simply finish the lacing process a little higher up. That being said, let's get into it...

Step 1: Feed the shoelace through the top of the first eyelets, ensuring any excess is kept even in length and that the laces face up and away from the tongue.

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Step 2: Cross the two ends over in the centre of the tongue and weave in and out of the subsequent eyelets. Once again, make sure the laces are flat and facing upwards as you work.

Step 3: Once you reach the tongue tab, you can either skip over it or thread the ends through to keep the laces firmly in place. We'd recommend this for the most secure fit possible.

Step 4: When you get to the top, instead of going in and out, feed your shoelace from the inside to the outside on both sides.

Step 5: Tie the ends together, repeat the process with your second shoe, and you should be good to go. Alternatively, you can feed the lace from outside to in and tuck the laces into your shoes depending on your preference.

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What Type Of Laces Do You Need For Air Force 1s?

Choosing between flat and round laces will come down to personal preference; however, keep in mind that Air Force 1s almost always come with flat laces as standard.

As a result, we'd recommend sticking flats if you want to achieve the classic look best seen on the "Little Accra" '07s.

That said, some Air Force 1s opt for something completely different, like these “LA Flea" Lows with their rounded rope-style laces, so the choice is really up to you.

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In terms of length, Air Force 1 laces are said to be mediums, meaning they fall between 49 and 54″.

This is worth keeping in mind in case you ever want to swap out the laces for different colours, like these flat red Birch laces, or if they simply need replacing.

Are There Other Ways Of Lacing Air Force 1s?

Although our guide details one of the most commonly used lacing methods, there are several alternatives you can try if you're looking for a slightly different style.

Loose

This is essentially the exact same technique we detailed above. The only real difference is that you're aiming to have just a small amount of lace left over on both sides.

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Once again, feed the laces through each eyelet, crossing them as you go; however, make sure you keep them relatively loose in order to be left with next to no excess.

For more information on this technique, check out our guide to lacing Nike Dunks right here.

Diamond

The diamond method is not too dissimilar to the first technique; however, there are a few minor differences that help create this intriguing pattern designed for a secure lock-in.

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To begin, thread the lace through the second row of eyelets, then go back underneath to weave through the first two holes you originally missed.

After this, work your way up the eyelets in order, but loop back on yourself to thread through the eyelets on the row before as you go. This may seem complicated, but it should become clearer in practice.

We've also covered this technique in our guide to lacing Converse shoes if you're looking for more information.

Straight Bars

We previously touched on the straight bar method of lacing sneakers in our guide to lacing Jordan 1s and football boots.

As mentioned in these guides, much of this technique remains the same as the one detailed above.

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Simply begin by threading the lace from the outside in.

Once you've covered the first eyelets, begin to weave the ends through each eyelet in an almost snake-like movement until you reach the top to tie them together.

The trick here is to almost treat each length of lace as a separate entity. In other words, the left length of the lace will go through the first, third, and fifth row of eyelets, while the right length goes through rows two, four, six, and so on.

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