The History of "FOR LOVE OR MONEY"

'Tis the holiday season. A season of friendship, family, and giving. As such, let’s take a trip down memory lane…

In 2004, FUTURA opened his FUTURA LABORATORIES flagship store in Fukuoka, Japan. To commemorate the store’s opening, FUTURA created the Nike SB "FOR LOVE OR MONEY" (FLOM) Dunk—a shoe that he made only to gift (not to sell) to his closest friends as a symbol of thanks to those who made their way to Fukuoka for the shop’s opening. He also had a surprise raffle: two customers who made any purchase were unknowing participants, who had been chosen at random, each winning a pair of FLOMs.

The now-famous all-over money print motif on the sneakers was always a very intentionally-designed point of tension; it was one part metaphor and prompt, and another part play on an acronym used by a famous cinematic bounty hunter. Do the knowledge… 

From the sneaker’s design process forward, a powerful question was literally and figuratively emblazoned on the shoe's fabric: would FUTURA’s friends keep the shoes (FOR LOVE) and express that friendship means more than money—or would human impulse reign supreme (OR MONEY), seeing them resold singularly for short-term monetary gain?

In the years since the FL release, the OG "FLOM” has become somewhat of a sneaker myth. How many pairs were actually made? Who had gotten them? Crazy secondary market transactions have affixed a general zip code of financial value to them. But perhaps, for their original 24 owners—was it at the cost of the spirit of friendship?

In 2025, the question still remains:

FOR LOVE . . . OR MONEY?

To celebrate his 70th birthday in 2025, FUTURA ran back the FLOM ethos—once again returning to JAPAN as a backdrop for a pivotal life moment. Making, this time around, 70 individually-numbered friends and family AF1 FLOMs, FUTURA once again celebrated a life milestone—by creating a gift for others. And once again, he has pulled an audible.

FUTURA x NIKE AIR FORCE 1 FLOM LXX

  • FOR LOVE

  • OR

  • MONEY

FUTURA will randomly select two winners to receive one pair each. The winners will be contacted on Monday via email. Link below for details.

REGISTER FOR THE DRAW

"FOR LOVE"

Selfless acts of kindness make the world go round, no matter the season. There is no better time to help those in need, now more than ever. In the spirit of “FLOM” ideology, FUTURA kindly encourages you to consider making a donation of any amount to FEEDING AMERICA.

In the words of NOTORIOUS B.I.G. . . . "SPREAD LOVE, IT'S THE BROOKLYN WAY"

THANK YOU.

PLEASE DONATE