The Air Max 1 was Tinker Hatfield‘s first big project, the one that started a saga that has remained a continuous innovation for the next three decades. The goal of the first Air Max was to encapsulate the maximum amount of air in the midsole of a running shoe, and to achieve it Tinker freed up space on the sides. For the first time, the Air units were exposed for all to see.
The Air Max 1 was introduced through a campaign featuring Revolution by The Beatles, and it was no coincidence. Nike knew it had a revolution and it was a long term revolutionary project.
Every season Nike renewed Air Max with the original idea, to place the maximum amount of air. What was originally an athletic product gradually became a cultural icon, accepted as an ensign by different social groups, a symbol for youth culture.
The Air Max 1 is now back with the original design, created from CT scans taken of one of the few that have remained intact since 1986. Details have been taken care of and replicated, such as the shape of the mudguard, the feel of the mesh and of course the Big Bubble, which you can get back after 36 years of waiting.
