John Kim 
Where does the Air Max 95 rank among the greatest Nike Air Max sneakers of all-time? The Ninety-Five sticks out like a sore thumb and is likely the most recognizable Air Max of the History of Air, and even someone who isn’t familiar with Nikes is likely to remember the classic so long as you give a short description of the shoe’s build. The full-length multi-compartment Max Air unit, the 3M reflective stripe on the heel, the insane design that subliminally detailed the human anatomy – those features come together to form a distinct design that burns a hole in anyone’s memory, particularly if the flagship colorway boasts an electric neon green that appears to burst out from the seams of the Air bubble. Some considered the 95 to simply be the ‘Air Max’, owning the definitive label as the ultimate Nike Air-centric performance runner thanks to copious amounts of Air and a heady design concept. Additionally, the 95 was somewhat of a black sheep for a number of reasons; the initial design withstood some negative feedback, and and unlike the previous string of Air Max heritage runners, the 95 was not designed by Tinker Hatfield, but by Sergio Lozano. And while the Air Max 95 continues to be one of the most popular Nikes in the world, it wasn’t as much of a coveted model as the Air Max 1 and 90 were, especially during the era of collaborations and art-based projects.
That isn’t saying there weren’t any memorable Air Max 95s; the shoe we’re kicking Air Max 95 week off with here in Classics Revisited was partly responsible for making ‘atmos’, a Japan-based retailer, a household name in the States. In tandem with the ‘Viotech’ Air Max 1, atmos made its name with its design of the Air Max 95, which jumbled a mis-match of tones like brown, tan, gold, and rich purple with a solid gum outsole. atmos left the materials untouched, opting for the original suede and soft white mesh upper while tinkering with the ‘muscle fibers’ for color contrast. The atmos x Nike Air Max 95 is one of the earliest ’95’ collaborations to go down in what’s proven to be an overall limited selection of the category, but we’ll attribute that to the fact the original Black/Grey/Neon colorway just can’t be topped. If you’re not familiar with the atmos x Nike Air Max 95, check it out below and stay tuned for another great collection of 95 bangers that you might’ve forgotten about, and let us know if you have these in your collection!
atmos x Nike Air Max 95
Smolder/Metallic Gold-White-Khaki-Black
306251-271
2003
Photos: ubiq
