Looking at some of the best Nike Air Max 1 Colorways
If it wasn’t for Tinker Hatfield’s lack of concern for conventional design, the Nike Air Max 1 might never have come about. Then again, we could probably make a similar conditional statement about the cup of coffee he had on his design days, but we digress.
The point is that the Nike Air Max 1 comes about as the result of rampant and unending experimentation. In fact, It was Tinker’s first actual major design project with the Swoosh that didn’t involve a building.
In true Hatfield form, he wanted to work on this project without the limiting assistance of a brief. Thanks to the timing – Nike had begun to go through a period of downturn in the middle to late 80s – Tinker could get away with taking this approach.
What would result is a shoe that bucked a major sneaker design convention. Until the release of the Air Max 1, functional details and footwear tech were to be “seen and not heard.”
No one wanted to know, brands assumed, about the cushioning or support features that were in their shoes. All they cared about was the shiny aesthetics, the styles, and the colorways. Visual appeal and a comfortable fit were all that mattered to customers as far as Nike was concerned.
That strategy had worked for quite some time, but things were changing. Enter the Air Max 1 and we get ushered into an era when sophisticated sneakerheads are no longer a tiny niche.
Thankfully, Nike kept up the visual brilliance which leads to some memorable general releases. Here are a few of our favorites.
OG White/ Red
One of the things that come to any Nike fan’s mind when you mention the OG Air Max 1 is the White/ Red colorway. In fact, when the AM 1 became the subject of Air Max Day celebrations not too long ago, this colorway made its unavoidable return.
As you can imagine, there was plenty of fanfare. The details are easy to miss with such a classic colorway, but they matter no less. The upper’s fairly minimalist build really shines through thanks to a combination of both synthetic and leather construction.
But, more than anything, it’s the actual aesthetic that sets this model apart. When the Air Max 1 debuts, it very quickly changes the footwear industry in a very palpable way, and all of that starts with this White/ Red colorway.
OG White/ Blue
Imagine for just a moment that you were around when the Air Max 1 dropped – shouts to you older sneakerheads. After the White/ Red colorway sets the sneaker world on fire, you’re all of a sudden left without many options.
Everywhere you go, the White/ Red look is pretty much sold out and Nike is still marketing the shoe like crazy. What do you do? Well, honestly, you could just try to buy them from someone else, hoping this is before the resell madness begins.
But, Nike has another solution. The OG White/ Blue colorway releases as another option for the Air-Max-obsessed of the Nike fandom. Luckily, it doesn’t take long for this contrasting colorway to release, coming out shortly after the White/ Red iteration.
The same material choice as the OG release is seen here. In fact, when the shoe more recently released last year as part of Air Max Day celebrations, the materials on the upper were pretty consistent in quality.
Scuba
There’s something about a good Black/ White sneaker that seems to just work. On most shoes, it’s a solid option to add to your rotation. But, for the Air Max 1, a good touch of neutral colors is a flat out essential.
The “Scuba” iteration was released back in 2010 as a fairly low-key colorway. In fact, it came across as one of those subtle European exclusives that Nike likes to come out with so regularly.
The White base is joined by overlays of Black and Neutral Grey. For a nice additional contrast, we see small hints of Scuba Blue via the top eye-stays and branding notes.
The color combination actually reminded fans of the similarly styled Ar Max Light, released a year earlier. As you can imagine, this look was quite popular amongst Air Max heads thanks to its relative ease to match outfits with.
“Storm”
For those of you who believe that a general release colorway can’t quite compete with a collaboration drop, here’s one for you to consider. This chunkier version of the Air Max 1 comes to us via the “Storm” pack that also included an iteration of the Air Burst (remember those?).
This colorway is a favorite of OG Air Max heads and represents the glory days of AM1 drops. The colorway itself was a welcome veer away from the brighter and lighter iterations that the Air Max 1 regularly released in.
Dark Charcoal served as the base while overlays of an Abyss shade provided the slightest of contrast. In fact, that initial combination made the “Storm” nickname for this iteration absolutely appropriate.
With that being said, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for this release. The Air Max 1 “Storm” also sported some serious brightness via branding notes in a Tennessee Orange hue.
We even see this boisterous color in the shoe’s inner linings. This color combination is the perfect statement piece of footwear, especially if they’re draped by some very light denim.
If you’re like many sneakerheads, you’ll want your sneakers to be the highlight of your look. With the “Storm” Air Max 1, that won’t be difficult to do.
Air Max 1 USA
The USA color scheme has always been a popular option for just about any sneaker. Some of us may just like walking around with something a little more patriotic. But, the rest of us really can’t help but get behind the Red/ White/ Blue combination.
Nike has released quite a few versions of this patriotic scheme, but the 2012 edition might go down as the most important when considering the context.
The 2012 Summer Olympics featured yet another unstoppable version of the USA Men’s Basketball team. This group ripped right through the competition – breaking some individual records along the way – and breezed to a Gold medal.
The Air Max 1 “USA” was released not long after all the medals were given out and it still managed to sell quite well. As a general release, it went a bit low-key on release radars, but that didn’t stop its momentum much.
For this 2012 version, a White based upper carries Blue overlays and is accented with a Red Swoosh. We also get more of that Red via the heel Nike Air branding. This iteration may not quite stand out for its aesthetic, but it allowed us to have an AM1 that you could use as an everyday beater.
Air Max 1 Satin
The satin scheme is something we’re used to seeing Nike throw onto Women’s iterations of their different models. In fact, some of the more memorable Air Jordan 1 releases have seen quite a few of these looks.
But, it’s also a recognizable staple in the retro collection from Nike’s archives. Back in the Swoosh’s past, materials were often glossy and stretchy – think Nylon and Satin.
With this Satin pack, we get to relive that retro glory in a set of boldly colored Air Max 1’s. The satin overlays on this iteration might be loud from a visual standpoint, but they’re also a premium choice of materials. The softer and smoother feel almost makes the usual leather option feel like something slightly rougher.
It’s a luxury option that also screams for the attention of onlookers. It’ll be pretty difficult to remain inconspicuous in these!
Air Max 1 McFly
The “McFly” iteration of the Nike Air Max 1 holds a rather awkward place in the shoe’s history. In and of itself, we don’t get a ton of loud looks from this colorway. In fact, it’s fairly basic in its totality.
And yet, its significance deserves no disservice. Technically speaking, the McFly was the first Black Air Max model anyone ever actually saw. It was part of the OG mesh series and was something of a prototype. It doesn’t get heralded very much in this way, but the McFly iteration, in its own way, started the Air Max 1’s journey in darker colorways.
Surprised? Yeah, so were we. Nonetheless, it’s fitting that the truly global reputation of the AM 1 would come partly from a look that is so universally wearable.
This colorway represents a triumph in minimalist visuals, sporting some serious flexibility. Much like some USA iterations, the Air Max 1 McFly is ridiculously easy to coordinate with in terms of an outfit.
Of course, there are some sneakerheads for whom that sort of subtlety would be a problem, and we get that. But, it’s safe to say that the large majority of the sneaker consumer market just wants a shoe they can wear as much as possible.
In that regard, an Air Max 1 styled in this manner is far from being a bad choice.
Air Max 1 Grape
Now, the Grape colorway of just about any Nike sneaker does perfectly fine in speaking for itself. It isn’t a color scheme that is remarkably new or hard to absorb. In fact, the first “Grape” iteration of the Air Max 1 dropped back in 2004, with previews as early as Summer 2003.
Moreover, we’ve seen the same visual, combined with shades of Teal, over the years on other shoes. If that’s not enough, major sports teams such as the Charlotte Hornets have officially adopted it as their color scheme for a few years now. So, it isn’t a concept we’re not used to. With all of that being said, this may be the most understated execution of this legendary colorway.
Now, we’re fans of a bit of minimalism – as you can tell from the other points of this list – but it’s more than that with this colorway. The “Grape” Air Max 1 was one of the first few models to sport that mini Swoosh branding.
This makes it even more surprising that when the shoe first dropped, it didn’t demand quite the same applause it would if it returned today. To be fair, the only indication of “Grape” on this shoe comes to us via the actual lateral swoosh. But, this doesn’t take away from the iteration’s significance as a standalone Air Max 1 colorway.
With the mini Swoosh models earning quite some hype, it would be nice to see Nike bring these gems back some time in the near future.
Gray Safari
There can’t be too many instances where one mentions the Safari color scheme without having the Air Max 1 spring first to your mind. There’s a reason for that.
The work that atmos and Nike have done together has resulted in sneaker culture staples. The original “Safari” colorway was hype-worthy enough, but that print was what remained with us.
At the time of its original release, this look was radically different from anything Air Max heads had seen up to this point. As such, it was a hot ticket item and sold out just about as quickly as it released.
Unfortunately, the collaborative drop was also in fairly limited numbers. Towards the end of 2008, this would change as fans were greeted with a premium general release in the form of the Air Max 1 “Grey Safari.”
This iteration was essentially the iconic colorway associated with the Atmos collab but seemingly dimmed down to a neutral grey. It comes with the dressings of a premium colorway as well, sporting high-quality materials and a crisp finish.
One of the more appropriate comments about this shoe came from a fan who said, “it feels like I’m looking at a Black and White photo of the original shoe.” It’s a surprisingly accurate depiction of this release.
Discover more of the Nike Air Max 1 best colorways at our Nike store.
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