A Brief History Of The Nike Air Max
It's the greatest sneaker on the planet and makes me go weak at the knees. Here is its past, present and (possible) future...
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The Air Max 90 has become quite the icon since it’s debut in, er, 1990. It was the second running shoe created by architect-turned-trainer-designer (sure) Tinker Hatfield, displaying it’s air bags for all and sundry to see (a bit like the Le Blow gals on a night out).
Nike invented its Air Cushioning Technology in 1979. By plonking air bags in the mid-soles of its running shoes, it changed the way athletes performed FOREVS.
In June of 1981 a fresh-faced architecture graduate joined Team Nike, as (funnily enough) an architect. And what of it? No one outside of Nike would ever see his work, right? WRONG!
That architect’s name was Tinker Hatfield, and when Nike asked him to try his hand at trainer design in 1985, NOTHING WOULD EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN. He single-handedly changed the aesthetic of sneaker stylin’, and the design process, too.
Fast forward to 1987. Prior to Tinker’s tinkering, the air unit in the swoosh brand’s sneaker soles was always concealed.
Then Tinker saw this fugly building: the Centre Pompidou in Paris…
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Inspired by the skeletal structure, with its “guts spilling out” – you can see everything inside, from the escalators to the people – he came up with the idea of exposing the air unit, and after much debate at Nike HQ, (“Why don’t we just cut a big hole in the midsole?”), this happened…
Nike Air Max 1 (1987)
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Followed three years later by this
Nike Air Max II (1990)
Note: Originally known as the Air Max III in the 90s, but became the Air Max 90 from 2000 onwards, fact fans…
This is obviously not an all-encompassing history of the Nike Air Max – I’d be here all bloody day! So here’s a few notable modern Nike Air Max collabs that have caught my eye – a smörgåsbord of stylish sneakers, if you will.
Liberty x Nike
Nike Air Max Safari Pack
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The return of the Nike Air Max 90 Infrared (re-release)
To shop for Nike Air Max, spring (LOL see what we did there?) over to JD Sports
This article originally appeared on Le Blow
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COMMENTS
a pleasure prefer nike cortez
Joseph, how did you come to the conclusion this writer is "clueless" as from where i'm sitting - it's rather informative?
Great article, personally, I must disagree with you Natalie and proclaim the original Air Max one as the greatest of all time.
Nike Air Max 95 will forever be the official trainer of the Warehouse Rave generation in the UK.
Rubbish trainer for boxyclots - late 70's early 80 Adidas - nothing else comes close
I too have sold plenty of Adidas and started looking for Nike,what the fuck?
Now this is amplify!