Image via Complex Original
In 1987, Tinker Hatfield came up with a crazy idea: He wanted Nike sneakers to have visible Air, and so the Air Max 1 was born. 2014 will mark the 27th anniversary of Hatfield's idea, with the Air Max 2014 releasing today.
Not only did Air Max give a plush ride during runs, it showed what sneaker cushioning could do for a runner. Over the past 27 years, Nike has evolved Air from being a tiny pocket to being a full 360-degree experience. The Air Max series has found its way from the running trail to the basketball courts and here's why: A Design Breakdown of the Nike Air Max Series.
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Nike Air Max 1
Year released: 1987
Tinker Hatfield came up with the idea of the Air Max 1 after seeing the Pompidou Centre in Paris- an un-covered building exposes its design. A viewer can see the inner structure of the building from the outside. By this point, Nike already had Air in its sneakers, but Tinker wanted to show consumers what actually made the sneakers comfortable. It wasn't as highly-touted of an idea as people would assume. Nike designers felt the idea was gimmicky. But Tinker eventually won out, and built the foundation for the Air Max line. The first sneaker in the series is still important to this day because of its perfect blend of form and function. Every pattern piece and midsole groove was used to accent the visible Air unit. It was a simple sneaker, but light years ahead of the competition grey suede sneakers of its time.
Air Max 90
Year Released: 1990
The Air Max 90 is one of the most interesting shoes of the series simply because of its colorway: Infrared. By surrounding the Air unit with a bright color, focus was solely on the function of the shoe. But any color could have been used to highlight the function of the shoe—pink, orange, blue, magenta, yellow. Name a color and it would have worked on the Air Max 90.
Nike Air Max 180
Year Released: 1992
After five years, it was time to evolve. The Air Max 180 no longer limited Air Max to a simple pocket. It moved into a full 180-degree piece that was in direct contact with the ground. Instead of being sandwiched between a midsole, rubber and the ground, The Air Max system was rugged enough to be exposed on the outsole. It may not sound like a lot, but eliminating one area of material is huge because it opened the doors for further innovation.
Air Max 93
Year Released: 1993
A year after evolving Air Max to 180-degrees of cushioning, it was time to give the Air Max 93 a 270-degree Air unit. The pocket now became an Air bag. It also caused the silhouette to be referred to as the Air Max 270. The area of cushioning grew from the midfoot area of the shoe to the full heel. Another important piece of this shoe was the upper. It featured a full-length inner bootie that provided excellent fit.
Air Max 95
Year Released: 1995
The Air Max 95 brought a new design element to the Air Max line. It featured the largest heel Air unit at the time, forefoot Air Max, and was designed by Sergio Lozano. Inspired by the human anatomy, the aggressive sole was made to represent the spine, gradiation on the side of the sneaker looked like muscles, the lace loops were the ribs, and the see-through mesh was a person's skin. This is also the first time the branding became about solely about what Air, and not about the Swoosh. The logo was minimized, and the focus became on the heel Air unit that was pumped up to 25 PSI, and the forefoot had a rating of 5 PSI.
Air Max 97
Year Released: 1997
The Air Max 97 brought the first full-length Air Max system. The Air bag expanded from being separate pieces that were separated by pieces of midsole, to a full-length unit that was not only exposed on the side of the shoe but also on the bottom. It was also the first Air Max unit designed solely for running. By directly molding the midsole to the Air Max unit, it not only saved weight but also created a dope sneaker that non-runners would sport.
Air Max 2003
Year Released: 2003
The 16th installment in the Air Max line, the Air Max 2003, didn’t see a new evolution of technology or even a new upper development. It was the execution of a very simple upper that accented the Air Max technology. The combination of the two brought together a dynamic look that was as bold as it was comfortable.
Air Max 360
Year Released: 2006
It took Nike 19 years to be able to manufacture an Air Max unit that allowed the runner to stand complete on Air. In 1992, Nike removed part of the midsole. in 1993, the Air Max unit evolved to the whole heel. in 1997, the bubble became full length. But all of those iterations still had a midsole. In 2006, the midsole was gone. The Air Max 360 built a foundation for softer sneakers in the future.
Air Max 2009
Year Released: 2009
In 2009, the Air Max line went a little backwards in its evolution, as it reintroduced an EVA midsole and brought its focus a little bit closer to the runner. The initial introduction of the 360-degree Air unit received some serious criticism from the running crowd, so Nike brought its patented Phylon cushioning back into the mix to give some extra dampening to each step. To offset the added weight of the midsole, Nike put the upper on a diet by removing layers and upgrading to a Flywire construction to provide stability.
Nike Air Max 2014
Year Released: 2014
The current state of the Air Max sees a full 360-degree Air cushioning system with a thin midsole topline. It also features a host of color options as the bag is now featuring color gradients that vary in the spectrum. The Air Max 2014 also uses Engineered Mesh in the upper, and is the next step in the Air Max legacy.