We’re talking about the Swoosh here, they of an incredibly deep catalog of bangers and cultural icons. From big screen hits and music videos to protests and iconic world events, Nike has been all over the place.<\/p>\n
So, yes, we’d understand if answering that question proved a bit difficult. And yet, we’re fairly certain you’d hear another popular answer: Air Max<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, that’s not a specific shoe, but the point remains. A massive amount of both Nike fans and sneakerheads, in general, have an Air Max model among their top, most coveted shoes.<\/p>\n The series starts off with an audacious design philosophy on the Air Max 1<\/strong><\/a> and continues in that spirit as we lead up to Air Max Day celebrations. Along the way, tech has developed, visions have changed, and the sneaker community’s imagination has been captured.<\/p>\n It’s almost natural to ask where all of this began. Fittingly, it starts with a simple yet bold idea.<\/p>\n Tinker Hatfield couldn’t possibly be more appropriately named. Having worked as an architect for some years, the man was all about innovative designs.<\/p>\n More importantly, Hatfield was about playing around with older methods, using previous approaches to tinker until something new came about. Essentially, that’s how we got the Air Max 1.<\/p>\n One of the misconceptions we have about the Air Max line is that it comes about as a solution to the functional needs of runners. In fact, Nike wasn’t in a great position to fill this niche at the time.<\/p>\n In the late 1980s, runners were spoiled for choice when it came to the functional running shoe. Names like adidas were meeting the standard requirement while the likes of New Balance<\/strong><\/a> offered slightly higher-end options.<\/p>\n At the same time, even Nike had figured the running game out for the most, getting great reviews on the Tailwind model. In fact, the Tailwind was one of the shoes that sported Nike Air tech before the Air Max line even came about.<\/p>\n So, how do you make a dent in a market that is saturated with both budget-friendly and high-end tech options? Well, as far as Tinker is concerned, you show people what they’re buying.<\/p>\n Up to this point in the sneaker game, the tech aspect is pretty bland with little information shared by brands. Nike changes this with the Air Max 1.<\/p>\n The notion of Air wasn’t new but making it visible was. Visible Air was one of the main drives behind the Air Max 1, the first sneaker to feature a window into the tech a consumer would be buying into.<\/p>\n It was revolutionary not for its technological significance, but thanks to the genius behind its marketing. All of a sudden, the technology and cushion that goes into a shoe is a matter of fascination.<\/p>\n When the Air Max 1 drops in 1987, it debuts to the curious eyes of runners and casual sneakerheads alike. The price point wasn’t exactly cheap, but it hardly mattered. The Air Max 1 separates itself early on by letting us actually see what’s cushioning our steps.<\/p>\n Adding to the unexpected Air Max 1 is the actual Air bag itself. Up to this point, Nike was focusing on ground-feel for their runners, and they weren’t alone. The footwear industry was looking to make runners a bit more streamlined, letting chunky midsoles fall by the wayside.<\/p>\n Tinker’s design proposed something a bit bolder when it included an Air bag that was Nike’s biggest to that point. And then, the question became, “why stop there?”<\/p>\n Each of the models to follow the AM 1 would come with more robust Air bags and bolder looks. The Air Max 90<\/strong><\/a> was proof of this.<\/p>\n When this shoe releases<\/a>, it’s on the heels of arguably Nike’s most successful ad campaign ever. The notion of visible Air started something huge in the sneaker game, putting all of the pressure on the Air Max 90. Tinker got straight to work.<\/p>\n Working with Nike’s Director of Cushioning Innovation, David Forland, The Architect decides to go even bigger. The Air Max 90 is released as one of the wildest functional designs of its era.<\/p>\n In fact, it reiterated an intense focus on exposing its own tech. It’s easy to imagine how much this complicated the lives of designers from other major brands.<\/p>\n But, success in the sneaker game is always a double-edged sword. For Nike, it needed to somehow keep beating its own lofty standards.<\/p>\n The Air Max 1 and Air Max 90 were cultural icons going into the 1990s. Both shoes achieved an amount of recognition that must’ve surprised Tinker himself. So, how do you beat that?<\/p>\n Well, we owe the answer to that question to the aforementioned Forland. His goal was to continue the hype behind the Visible Air phenomenon.<\/p>\n What he actually ended up doing was going even further with it. The notion of exposing the tech was to bring the consumer closer to the tech they were wearing. In that spirit, not only did the Air Max 180 release in 1991 with even more air, there was another low key change: less foam.<\/p>\n Traditionally, running sneakers shared a cushioning scheme with most performance shoes. Whether it was GEL, Air, or EVA, most sneakers came with some later of foam or other material separating your foot from the actual cushion.<\/p>\n Forland saw that approach as counter-intuitive. After all, the Air Max line was about feeling what you were wearing. So, he opts to eliminate the layer of foam, and that’s what inspires the Air Max 180.<\/p>\n Of course, there was even more visibility for the Air unit. The 180-degree visible cushioning unit was the very first of its kind, offering consumers the most comprehensive look ever at what’s actually inside their midsoles.<\/p>\n Flash forward two years later, and the fever of Visible Air has only gotten worse. Everyone wants even more exposure of the midsole. Nike gave us a peek, now we wanted the whole shoe.<\/p>\n Forland even admits that models such as the Air Max 180 were the hardest sneakers to make. But, an innovative design method would lead the way forward.<\/p>\n Nike discovers a new way to put together Air soles: blow molding. This method involves building the sole in 3-D shapes. Effectively, this took away the dependence on air pressure.<\/p>\n It also allowed the brand to design an Air sole that could take on another build, a demand that came about as fans fell ever deeper in love with the Air Max line.<\/p>\n And thus, we get the Air Max 93, a shoe that still maintains a ton of Visible Air, but throws in a section of the cushioning on the forefoot as well. It’s a shame the 93 is so underrated because it is this design method that leads to a legendary model.<\/p>\n The Air Max 95<\/strong><\/a> doesn’t achieve its status if it wasn’t for the testing case that was the AM 93. Seeing the blow-molded sole work on the 93 inspired Tinker and the crew to think about how much they could further it.<\/p>\n In 1987 and 1990, it was about exposing the Air sole. In 1993, the crew focused on adding even more cushioning. Well, the Air Max 95 combined these concepts.<\/p>\n The Air unit was extended throughout the shoe, with a window the stretched the entire length of the midsole. This was the first sneaker to fully incorporate two separate Air sole units, making it a beast of a runner.<\/p>\n Just as important was Nike’s discovery of a single Air sole unit. The Air Max 97<\/strong><\/a> was the first to feature this, and it would open doors to a world of possibility.<\/p>\n The 97’s success led to more boundaries being pushed. The Air Max TN employed physical pieces to actually support the Air sole unit from lateral ends. This design was, as usual, an industry first and somehow managed to improve the Air cushioning.<\/p>\n This is quickly followed by the underrated Air Max 360, completely dispelling the notion of foam separating foot from Air. Instead of the traditional layer, Hatfield and Forland had the idea to cage the Air sole eliminates separation from the underfoot.<\/p>\n This also allowed the midsole to be the most flexible of the Air Max line.<\/p>\n After discovering what a full-length Air sole could do, innovations continued to flower into models such as the Air Max 2015 and the more recent Vapor experiments.<\/p>\n![\"air](\"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/magefan\/17e874c8cc880ab6ed9c7d6cc4f96ad8.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nBackground<\/h2>\n
Air Context<\/h2>\n
Finding a Niche<\/h2>\n
Tech Matters<\/h2>\n
![\"nike](\"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/magefan\/Nike-AirMAX90-VintageAD-001.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nAbove and Beyond<\/h2>\n
Stripping Things Down<\/h2>\n
Catching Up with Themselves<\/h2>\n
![\"nike](\"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/magefan\/nike-air-max-180-og-615287-101-32.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEven More Air<\/h2>\n
Consolidated Cushioning<\/h2>\n
![\"Nike](\"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/magefan\/nike-air-vapormax-hot-punch.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nCarrying the Torch<\/h2>\n
![\"nike](\"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/magefan\/nike-air-max-1-97.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"