Ask any Nike fan what sneaker was first to feature Visible Air cushioning and they are almost guaranteed to respond with the Air Max 1 – and they’d be correct! Thanks to a slew of OG retros and the creation of Air Max Day, the significance of the AM1 has been impossible to ignore. However, while it was the first sneaker to feature ‘visible’ Air, it was far from the first to feature Nike’s revolutionary gas-based cushioning technology. That honour goes to the OG Air Tailwind – a credit that has almost entirely been forgotten to all but the most loyal of Swoosh devotees.
The OG Air Tailwind was the first sneaker to feature Nike’s revolutionary gas-based cushioning technology.
Nike Air, as it would come to be known, was created incidentally by Marion ‘Frank’ Rudy, an aeronautical engineer who experimented with containing inert gases in rubber membranes during the 60s and 70s. On realising that his work could have could have use in the footwear industry, he began to shop it around – although Nike was far from the first brand he approached. Rudy reportedly presented his groundbreaking cushioning system to a multitude of brands, only to be met with rejection across the board. It was only once he approached Nike with his radical innovation in 1977 that he finally garnered some interest.
Phil Knight, co-founder of the then-fledgling sportswear brand, put the technology to the test the only way he knew how: by lacing up in a prototype and putting them to work. Impressed by the ‘ride’ quality delivered by this new form of cushioning, Nike took a chance on Rudy’s innovation and went to work on implementing it into a new runner. That shoe would ultimately be the very first Air Tailwind.
Marion ‘Frank’ Rudy
The Air Tailwind 79 resurrects this legendary sneaker in true-to-form fashion – something we haven’t seen for quite some time. Not only is the Air Tailwind 79 a significant sneaker that deserves pride of place in any collector’s closet, but the colourways that Nike’s been serving up are almost impossible to resist. Our favourite, here at our sneaker shop in Foot District, is the Air Tailwind 79 ‘Blue Tint/Team Orange/Tour Yellow’. It features a colour combination that perfectly channels the model’s 70s origins, while also being fresh enough to stand out in a crowd when surrounded by the latest designs on the market.
With 2019 officially marking the 40th anniversary of the Air Tailwind, you owe it to ol’ Rudy to add at least one pair to your collection – and it is for that reason that the Air Tailwind 79 is our sneaker of the week. Get your pair now from Foot District nike store.