John Kim 
Finishing off this string of Air Max 1 collaborations is 2006’s partnership with legendary UK-based artist Ben Drury. Drury, who was world-renown for his extensive work in the music industry, composing the artwork for label Mo’Wax, first collaborated with Nike Sportswear in 2006 as part of the Tier Zero ‘Air U Breathe’ Pack, which featured the Air Max 1, Air Stab, and Air Max 360. His Air Max 1 design was inspired by the pirate radio scene in London, featuring a 3M reflective mudguard with black premium leather and the distinguishing pulsar stitch detailing on the heel as well as the custom insole, mimicking the strong signals of radio transmissions – a common theme in all of Drury’s work. ‘Hold Tight’ is derived from industry verbage when the words were barked out when something special was about to go down – whether it be an exhilarating ride at a theme park or a song from the radio. The Ben Drury x Nike Air Max 1 ‘Hold Tight’ also came accompanied with a matching t-shirt, bag, and Nike Windrunner jacket – all of which were distributed in limited quantities.
The five Air Max 1 gems shown this week in Classics Revisited are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cataloging the greatest Air Max 1s in history; with a wide library to cover, we chose to select five of the most dazzling colorways and thoughtful inspirations – and all just so happened to be collaborative efforts with artists and designers. The collaboration is a phenomenon that seems to occur less frequently than what we’d hope for because Nike has been pumping out some great designs in-house, but getting a unique, outside POV clearly results in something on a different plane of thought, does it not? We will continue our Classics Revisited feature next week with a whole new model, but you can certainly count on us coming back to the Air Max 1 because there’s plenty more to revisit. Refresh your memory on this 2006 classic by checking out the gallery below, and let us know if you’ve got the Hold Tights in your stash!
Ben Drury x Nike Air Max 1 ‘Hold Tight’
Black/White-Medium Grey
314252-011
09/2006
Photos: sneakers.bz
