Nike Air Max
Air Max is a revolutionary footwear cushioning technology created by sports athletics brand Nike. The idea of encapsulating Air into a midsole was first thought up by Marion Frank Rudy, an aerospace engineer. He presented his idea to Nike founder Phil Knight in 1977, who was very intrigued by the idea after testing a prototype running shoe. Air cushioning was used in Nike running footwear as far back as 1978 with the Air Tailwind running shoe. However, the Air was not visible as it was embedded into the sole.
Air Max didn’t come into the picture until 1987. Footwear designer Tinker Hatfield introduced the idea of making the Air cushioning visible to the eye, doing so on the Air Max 1 running shoe. At the time, running footwear was extremely plain, so he chose to do something completely different to align with the changing times of pop culture. Since then, a long history of running shoes have released, many named after the year they were released. These shoes are considered extremely important to sneaker culture as many collectors searched far and wide for limited editions and collaborations with Parra, Sean Wotherspoon, and atmos.
Since its inception, the visible Air revolution has expanded beyond running models – including sports like basketball. Many sneakers with a visible Nike Air bubble can be considered “Air Max,” but modified versions of the technology from over the years have launched with different names. The most popular retro sneakers under the line are the AM 1, the Air Max 90, and Air Max 95. Most of Nike Running’s marquee performance shoes no longer rely on the revolutionary technology, opting for a combination of responsive foams, full-length Air units, and Zoom Air bubbles. In 2024, two new models entered the family with the Nike Air Max Plus Drift and Nike Air Max Dn, the latter silhouette receiving a massive spotlight in the first half of the year as it made its official debut.
Nike’s modern offerings are more lifestyle-focused than before, leaving original designs from the game-changing family to enjoy proper retros, limited editions, and special collaborations.
Nike Air Max
Nike Air Max 90 Premium – Night Factor – Volt
Expect more Nike Sportswear Air Max classic runners with two-tone midsoles in 2014. This trend we’ve seen ramping up over the past few months is...
Nike Air Max 90 PRM – Dark Obsidian – Grey – Orange
That iced treatment isn’t the only special thing on the horizon for the sole kit of the Nike Air Max 90. Slightly less mind blowing...
Nike Air Max 90 ICE – February 2014
The Nike Air Max 90 is a sneaker that’s continuously being upgraded with new textures and materials and new titles to reflect those changes. Case...
Nike Air Max 90 Essential – Black – Blue – Pink
Have you been collecting sneakers for ten years or more? If so, chances are, the Nike Air Max 90 Essential will ring a bell when...
Nike WMNS Air Max 90 “Pink Glow” – Available
It’s officially Pink Glow this time around, but as sneakerheads, we recognize this Nike WMNS Air Max 90 as ‘Laser Pink’. That was the original...
Nike Sportswear Running – 2014 Preview
It appears that there are even more Nike Air Huarache and Nike Air Max 93 pairs on the horizon from Nike Sportswear. We got a...
Nike Air Max 90 Essential – Light Base Grey – Iron Purple – Atomic Orange
Nike Sportswear commands the industry’s most varied heritage archives, which is very helpful because their competitors are quite well equipped in other areas. For example,...
London Underground x Nike Air Max “Roundel” Collection – On-Foot Images
The London Underground x Nike Air Max “Roundel” collection is one whose reference is no doubt lost on a good number of American readers. The...
Nike Air Max 90 “Laser Pink” – 2014 Retro
In addition to all the mens classics we’ve come to know and love, there are a select few ladies colorways that over the years have...