No sneaker combines history and current trends as skilfully as the Nike Air Max Since 1987 we have been taken on the journey of the Air Revolution time and time again. The face of the then innovative Air technology is clearly the design legend Tinker Hatfield, who celebrated his entry as an architect for offices and stores at Nike in 1981. Hatfield’s strong passion for sports eventually led to his designing his first athletic shoe.
This very sneaker represented Hatfield’s first major project. The former architect used the Centre Pompidou in Paris as a source of inspiration, which is unique due to the stairs and tubes arranged on the outside. Hatfield himself also wanted to make the inside visible to the outside – a stroke of genius that he succeeded in doing precisely because of the Air Sole developed in 1978. Incidentally, the Air Sole was an invention of former NASA engineer Frank Rudy. The never-before-seen silhouette caused quite a stir internally, however, precisely because of the visible Air Bubble. Still, Nike‘s Air Max managed to catch on. As everyone knows, when technologies are successful, Nike works continuously to develop them further.
As the first silhouette with the Visible Air sole, the sneaker presented itself in 1987 in the OG colorway that everyone knows to this day: red and white!
The very first Air Max with a lightweight mesh upper. (Release 1989) Air Max 90: More is more! The larger Air Sole brought even more cushioning looked more uniform overall. (Release: 1990)
Once again, the Air Sole was enlarged. The sneaker was originally intended to function purely as a sports shoe, but was then issued in various colorways and thus suitable for the street (Release: 1991)
Introduction of the 180° Air-Sole element, in which the foam between the outsole and the Air-Pad was removed, so that the heel touches the ground directly with the Air-Element. A whole new level of comfort was created (release 1991).
With the now even “longer” air unit, Nike provides further optimization of the Air Sole (release 1993) Air Max 95: the all-new silhouette brings the Air Sole to the forefoot for the first time (release 1995).
The Air Sole now runs all the way around the shoe and, combined with the layered look of the upper, creates a sleek appearance. (Release 1997)
All Air Max models – especially upcoming releases and new versions can be found here on our site or in our free app. Of course, we’ll be the first to tell you where and when you can buy your Air Max object of desire.