John Kim Premium Goods’ original outpost in Brooklyn is ready to re-enter the collaborative space with the Air Max 1. Designed as an homage to 1990s hip-hop and the surrounding culture, the Air Max 1 is a colorful display that reflects the sporty fashion that pervaded the streets through labels like Tommy Hilfiger, The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren, and more. The shoe was received with praise immediately, not just for its clean design, but for shop founder Clarence Nathan getting the much-deserved opportunity.
Under the guidance of the long-time friend and sneaker legend DJ Clark Kent, Clarence honed in on premium materials and a definitive color story to achieve his vision. As the design process goes, there are multiple rounds of sampling to test out colors, materials, logo hits, and so on. Sneaker News was given an exclusive look at earlier samples that helped shape the final cut.
Below is the first round of the Air Max 1 that was actually concocted by Nike’s design team, specifically by a Brooklyn-born designer who understood Clarence’s 90s themed concept. This first round sample is a strong starting point as the colorway is a fairly accurate representation of the aesthetic of the decade.
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- First round samples of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
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- First round samples of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
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- First round samples of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
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- First round samples of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
The immediate feedback from Clarence was that the shoe looked too much like a Fall/Winter sneaker. Immediately, he switched up the toe-box from the dark navy blue to a clean white while adding touches of blue on the quarter and heel for a sportier feel. The additional swaps at the ankle, lace eyelet, tongue labels, and interior to primary colors further stamp the sport-preppy look. This pair has an additional layer of uniqueness in that the left and right shoe are different colors. The intent wasn’t to create a mis-matched shoe, but rather to test out a blue-colored toeguard.
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- Second round samples of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
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- Second round samples of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
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- Second round samples of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
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- Second round samples of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
Ultimated, Clarence went with the green mudguard as seen in the final public release version seen below. The final edits include the Premium Goods logo hit the on the heel, the addition of 02 and 04 on the tongue labels (a nod to the founding years of Premium Goods Brooklyn and Houston, respectively), and the matching hexagonal nylon ripstop on the Swoosh in place of the metallic silver.
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- Final version of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
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- Final version of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
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- Final version of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
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- Final version of the Premium Goods x Nike Air Max 1 Photography by Sneaker News
The roll-out of the shoe’s debut was as guerilla as you can get. Clarence headed across the Atlantic for Paris Fashion Week, arguably the best time of the year to reveal new product. Photos of shoes eventually landed on Clint419’s phone screen, who immediately fell in love with the shoe. Through those connections, Clarence got a pair to the Corteiz founder at the Awake New York pop-up, and the rest is history.
Only 718 pairs of this collaboration will release first-come first-serve at Premium Goods Brooklyn. The release will go down on July 18th, 2025, with each pair coming with an individually numbered postcard insert. MSRP is set at $170.
