Zack Schlemmer 
Over the past couple of months, we’ve reminisced about some of the best sneakers celebrating their 20th birthday with the Flashback to ‘95 series. The year 1995 was indeed a golden year for the sneaker world, as many shoes that rank among our favorite models still today were first released in that 365 day period. The Air Max 95 giving us more Air than we’d ever seen before, Zoom Air being officially introduced in the Zoom Flight ‘95, and the Kamikaze II reigning for Reebok are three of the six major stories of 1995 that we’ve covered, but there are many more sneakers released that year worth a mention. That’s where this week’s article comes in, as we feature ten more sneakers from 1995 that live on in the hearts of sneaker collectors. Continue reading for all the best of the rest from the jam-packed year of amazing sneakers that was 1995.
Nike Air Flight One
We covered Penny Hardaway’s first official signature sneaker already, but the predecessor to his famed signature line, the Air Flight One, released in the first half of 1995 and were on his feet straight through his Finals appearance in June of ‘95. A cult classic among fans of ‘90s Nike Basketball designs, the Flight One finally got a retro in 2012 in the popular “Orlando” color scheme, then followed by the black/white version that was famously worn by Michael Jordan in a 1995 playoff game against the Magic. Even though it will forever be overshadowed by the Air Penny 1, the Flight One is a shoe that has to be mentioned if you’re talking about the best of 1995.
Nike Air Wayup
One word can sum up the Air Wayup in 1995: Everywhere. A perfect blend of style and performance at its time, the Air Wayup could be found on the NBA or college court for literally any game throughout the 1995-96 basketball season. A takedown of sorts of the Air Penny, the Wayup also featured a bold support “wing” and jeweled Swoosh on its lateral side (but with a leather panel on the medial side to balance out the design). To illustrate how the Wayup was the ultimate on-court model of the time, the above image compiles just a small sampling of the players—from point guards to centers—spotted wearing it that season.
Nike Air Max CW
After a successful rookie campaign with the Golden State Warriors, Chris Webber ended up in Washington where Nike blessed him with his first signature model, the Air Max CW. Able to be considered the basketball counterpart of the famous Air Max 95, the CW was the first signature basketball shoe to utilize visible Air in the forefoot, and featured the awesome “CW” basketball and hoop logo on each heel. Webber’s first Nike shoe would sadly end up being his last, after the brand wouldn’t honor his wishes to lower the price of his signature line.
FILA Grant Hill 1
Italian sportswear brand FILA officially made a name for themselves on the hardwood in 1995 when they released the first signature model for budding superstar and fan favorite Grant Hill. The distinct design with oversized lace loops and large FILA logo was a smash hit, moving 1.5 million units by the end of the 1994-95 NBA season—making it the fastest selling signature basketball shoe since the Air Jordan. The Grant Hill 1 ushered in a successful new basketball era for FILA throughout the late ‘90s, and now enjoys a whole new life as a retro classic from the brand’s heritage line.
Nike Air Barrage
The quintessential model from Nike’s mid-90’s turf training category, the Air Barrage is big, beefy, bold, and equipped with a monster midfoot strap. These beasts also possibly set the record for most branding on a Nike shoe, with a total of eight Swooshes on each shoe. And then there’s the giant “AIR” located on the midsole, which seems to be a precursor to the Air More Uptempo released in 1996. Nike Training fanatics have been begging for a retro of the Barrage for years, but we’ll all have to continue to wait for now.
Nike Air Max CB 34
Even though it was a few years after the famous Barkley vs. Godzilla ad campaign, Chuck’s signature from ‘95 featured a design inspired by the oversized lizard. Also notable is the fact that they say “Sir” on one outsole and “Charles” on the other. Perhaps the first non-matching outsole design? A sleeper hit of the Charles Barkley signature line, these don’t get retroed nearly as much they should.
Nike Air Footscape
Nike had done some funky running shoes before like the Sock Racer and Air flow, but in 1995 they took it to uncharted territory once again with the Air Footscape featuring asymmetrical lacing and a design intended to shape to the natural design of the foot. Now it’s easy to see that they were an obvious forefather to Free technology ten years later.
Nike Air Alarm
The perfect name for such an eye-catching design, the Air Alarm was Andre Agassi’s shoe of choice in 1995, and even made an appearance on Gary Payton’s feet on the NBA hardwood. This oddball of the Agassi’s signature line is one many Tech Challenge fans would love to see Nike serve up again.
Converse Voltage
Looking like it could have been from the Reebok family of bold designs like the Kamikaze II and Shaqnosis, Converse got in on the fun with the electric Converse Voltage. The zig-zagging design was one of Converse’s most memorable hoops shoes of the mid ‘90s and was championed by the equally electrifying Latrell Sprewell. Unfortunately, Converse’s retro hoops game isn’t very strong (although we did get a bringback of the Aerojam), so don’t hold your breath for a return of this classic model.
Nike Air DT Max
The retro releases of this iconic Deion Sanders signature turf trainer may be labeled the DT Max ‘96, but the shoe actually first released in late 1995. Matching Prime Time’s brash personality quite nicely, the bold “ripped” design of the DT Max is without a doubt one of the most memorable Nike Training models ever.
