On this day in 1987, Nike introduced a technology that would change sneakers forever. The Air Max 1, Nike's first sneaker with Visible Air, was the predecessor for a successful line of nitrogen-infused shoes that still continue today. There's been some timeless silhouettes and multiple variations of the Nike Air Max over the past 27 years. We reached out to today's top sneaker experts to weigh in on which Air Max runner was their most memorable. Here is Walking On Air: Sneaker Personalities Discuss Their Favorite Air Max.
RELATED: 25 Things You Didn't Know About the Air Max 1
RELATED: The 25 Best Air Maxes of All Time
On this day in 1987, Nike introduced a technology that would change sneakers forever. The Air Max 1, Nike's first sneaker with Visible Air, was the predecessor for a successful line of nitrogen-infused shoes that still continue today. There's been some timeless silhouettes and multiple variations of the Nike Air Max over the past 27 years. We reached out to today's top sneaker experts to weigh in on which Air Max runner was their most memorable. Here is Walking On Air: Sneaker Personalities Discuss Their Favorite Air Max.
RELATED: 25 Things You Didn't Know About the Air Max 1
RELATED: The 25 Best Air Maxes of All Time
Jeff Carvalho
Favorite Model: Air Max 1
Website: HighSnobiety, Selectism
Twitter: @jeffcarvalho
Nike handed me a gift when they allowed for the Air Max 1 profile to be customized via their "ID" program back in 2006. I took the original Air Max 95 "Cool Grey/Neon Yellow" colorway and applied it to the Air Max 1, which, in my opinion, looks much better on the latter. This is my favorite Air Max.
Matt Welty
Favorite Model: Air Max 93
Website: Complex Sneakers
Twitter: @matthewjwelty
The Air Max 93 is an under-appreciated sneaker. Up until last year, no one had cared about the silhouette in, what felt like, forever. It had re-released in 2005 as part of the History of Air pack—celebrating Nike's touchstone Air Max models—and sat on shelves. And that's where I found it at George and Phillips, a former Nike outlet in Exeter, N.H., in 2006 for $60. I wear Air Max 1s a lot more than Air Max 93s. (I still only own the first pair that I purchased). But when size? decided to bring back the model late last year, it felt like my appreciation for runners had come full circle. Other heads would be slipping their feet into the bootie-uppered runner. And with the rising popularity of jogger pants, slim sweats, and better-cut denim, people wouldn't look foolish wearing these with jeans. My pair, sadly, is cooked. The mesh toebox is covered with grass stains from a microburst that ravaged my friend's neighborhood that same summer. But if I can come across pair for a reasonable price, there will be a second (or third) pair added to my collection.
Dallas Penn
Favorite Model: Air Max 1
Website: DallasPenn.com
Twitter: @Dallas_Penn
The Air Max 1 is still the greatest Air Max shoe for my mind, because it began the looking glass into what our sneakers could be. Everything and nothing. Air is so essential to our lives but we take for granted it will always be around. The idea of capturing air still astounds me. I still have to peer into the bubble of an Air Max shoe and be amazed at how nothing can come to represent everything.
Brett Golliff
Favorite Model: Air Max 1
Website: brettgolliff.com
Twitter: @bgolliff
Call it cliche but my favorite Air Max is the 1. To me it represents a time when no one knew what was actually inside a shoe. It broke down so many barriers. It captured the imagination of the world and created a culture. It completely revolutionized what footwear would become. Later on in life it directly influenced me in how to use design inspiration to create a new product. Tinker was inspired by the Pompidou-Centre in France and how it revealed the inner workings of the building. I thought it was so unique that the center took what many people see as ugly and not worth being seen and made it beautiful. Without that mentality, we wouldn't have Air Max today.
Nick Schonberger
Favorite Model: Air Max Plus
Website: Complex
Twitter: @nschon
Released in 1998, the Air Max TN (now Plus) ticks all the requisite boxes for consideration as one of the great Air Max models. Bold design? Look no further than the sweet gradient of the upper and strong plastic toe guard. Fresh tech? Oh yes, the Air Max Plus introduced Tuned Air (individual air pockets "tuned" for specific areas of impact) to running. Adoption in street culture? Indeed, the Air Max Plus has been a European road staple through Footlocker EU since its introduction.
The Air Max Plus was better than the Air Max '98. It is better, for argument's sake, than the pioneering gradient Air Max, the 95. It is also better than the AM1, 90, and metallic 97. Why? Because I say so. Not convincing enough? Fine. The Air Max Plus' legacy stands not because of associated celebrity, big collaboration, or even a winning marketing campaign. Instead, it shines because it quietly became a style favorite without a heavy-handed push and pseudo-nostalgic yearnings. Take a look at Cottweiler's AW2013 look book. Paired with white socks, an all-leather black TN functions as inspirational reference point and perfect complement to the London-based brand's high-end track suit offering. If you get it, you get it. Otherwise, it is unlikely any blog push or co-branded effort will sway you. The Air Max TN is niche within a niche. Hopefully, things stay that way.
Frank the Butcher
Favorite Model: Air Max 90
Website: BAU
Twitter: @frankthebutcher
I remember a friend of mine lived with his dad in Massachusetts but spent a lot of time in NYC with his mom. He'd always would come back with something I've never seen before—as you can imagine, the flow of information was much slower then. This was 1990 and I was 13 years old. After one of the school breaks he popped up wearing the most futuristic (at the time) pair of sneakers I've ever seen. The color combination was unique and they had a huge visible air bubble that almost looked dangerous.
I was obsessed with his shoes and would constantly draw versions of the shoe featuring this exaggerated Air bubble. Imagine living in a world where you're just discovering things that would later change everything. The first time I heard Wu's "Protect Your Neck," the first Jordan Dunk Contest, or the first time you realized what "crackhead" was.
This was one of those moments that solidified my curiosity for sneakers that would later develop into a passion.
That shoe was the Air Max 90. The greatest Air Max ever.
John B. Kim
Favorite Model: Air Max 1
Website: SneakerNews.com
Twitter: @johnbeekim
Many sneaker enthusiasts answer the question of "which type of shoe started your hobby" in one of three ways—basketball, training, or running. While I appreciate the earlier Air Jordans and Nike Basketball/Training designs, running shoes were far more essential to me, and I used them for all sports. While the Air Max 1 wasn't the first Nike running shoe I fell in love with, it's the reason why I love the sneaker culture as a whole. I was reintroduced to the silhouette in the early 2000s and at the time, general releases were less than $80 and they almost always went on sale. It didn't hurt to love a shoe that was so affordable and available in relative abundance. Amidst all the affordable pairs that were around was the atmos x Air Max 1 "Safari." This colorway was unlike anything else out there and sneaker collaborations were still a new concept at the time. it was the first sneaker I truly hunted for because it was quite rare and there was only a small handful of resources to purchase overseas-exclusive sneakers (eBay being the best bet). Even through several wears, the shoe still looks good to this day. The Japan-based atmos crew surely delivered with this one and it's the reason why a big portion of my personal sneaker collection is the Air Max 1.
Tommie Battle
Favorite Model: Air Max 90
Website: N/A
Twitter: @boneystarks
These are my Air Max 90s from the "History of Air" pack that dropped in '05. I will hold on to these kicks for as long as I can—throwing them in the washer and keeping a shoe tree on standby. They may yellow. The laces and liner may get dirty, but I will never throw them away. Why? Because, they're the last pair of sneakers my parents bought me at 22. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
Nick DePaula
Favorite Model: Air Max 98 TL
Website: Sole Collector
Twitter: @_NDP
While most people consider the '87-'97 range to be the golden era of Air Max (and they're probably right), I happen to like the few years that followed just as Nike was nearing the new millennium. The earliest Nike Air Max designs were radical enough for the conservative running world, but the shoes of the late '90s and early 2000s, like the Air Tuned Max, Air Sirocco, Air Kukini and Air Max 98 TL were radical by even Nike's standards. Which really drew me in. The gem of that batch, to me, is the Air Max 98 TL, with its great bright colors and drastic cutaway at the midfoot. I also always liked how sculpted the Air bags were on these, versus the more straightforward full-length bag on the Air Max 97 and regular Air Max 98. Long forgotten over 15 years later, I'd certainly welcome a Retro of these whenever Nike feels like it.
Rich Lopez
Favorite Model: Air Max 90
Website: KixandtheCity.com
Twitter: @MaZe1eR
Picking your favorite Air Max sneaker might be as difficult as picking your favorite child but if I had to pick one, I'd have to go with the Air Max 90. The Air Max 90 dropped at a time when I was really first getting into looking at what people were rocking on their feet. The combination of Infrared, the Max Air Unit, and the big Nike Air hit on the heel was a sight to behold. The Nike Air hit on the heel is especially important to me because at the time, Air Jordans and the Air Max 90 were the only sneakers to really feature such a prominent Nike Air placement. As Air Jordans eventually dropped the Nike Air branding on the heel, the Nike Air Max 90 stood by itself as nod to that type of '90s branding that I fell in love with.
Gerald Flores
Favorite Model: Air Max 180
Website: Complex Sneakers
Twitter: @ImGeraLd
I can't say I got into Air Max 180s when they originally came out in 1991. Actually, I wasn't into a lot of sneakers around that time because I was in elementary school, probably wearing some British Knights that my mom bought for me off the clearance racks.
It was 2005 when I first saw a white/black/gold retro version of the 180 on the shelves of Packer Shoes in Teaneck, N.J. Obviously, around this time, the Air Max 180 air unit was sort of a relic when compared to other tech Nike was putting out in the mid 2000s. But there was just something rad about that retro 180 sole, and how the air unit appeared to continue all the way to the bottom of the shoe.
I wore those 180s for most of that summer. The sneakers ended up meeting their demise that August, while riding dirt bikes in Maryland. Note: don't wear white sneakers while riding dirt bikes. Lesson learned. But still, I had a lot of great memories in those sneakers.
Russ Bengtson
Favorite Model: Air Max 1
Website: Complex
Twitter: @russbengtson
Somewhere in my parents' basement—probably in an old filing cabinet down the basement—is the original "NIKE-AIR IS NOT A SHOE" Air Max insert that ran in Sports Illustrated back in 1987. Maybe it was 1988. Whatever the case, the centerpiece was a full spread of the then-new Nike Air Max runner, with a light shining through the Visible Air bag. This was new. This was different. This was a must-have. Because before that first Air Max shoe, Air was strictly theoretical. It was still desirable to have a Nike Air shoe, as they were more expensive and thus had more caché at school and at the mall. But other than the "Nike Air" on the tongue tag, there was no real proof that there was Air in there at all. At least not anything you could see. The original Air Max, one of Tinker Hatfield's most enduring creations, changed all that. And all of a sudden, it wasn't Air that mattered as much as VISIBLE Air. Was the Air Max 1 a great running shoe? That's open to debate—and seeing that the giant, cushy midsole promoted heelstrike, the answer is most likely no. Was the Air Max 1 a great shoe, period? With new makeups continuing to release 27 years after its introduction, there's no question. But none beat the original.
Joe La Puma
Favorite Model: Air Max 97
Website: Complex
Twitter: @jlapuma
If you ask me what my favorite Air Maxes are, the answer might vary depending on the day. Today though, as I write this it's the Air Max 97. My parents always did a good job getting me cool sneakers for the first day of school, but I distinctly remember shopping for the silver/red Air Maxes the day before my first day of sixth grade. Going into a new school where you're the youngest is pretty nerve-wracking so acquiring these sneakers helped ease my anxiety a bit. They were expensive, but I convinced my mom to get them for me. We had this pact where she'd buy me cool stuff and we wouldn't really tell my dad about them and then when the credit card bill came she'd Kanye shrug. These 97s are perfect and I think them still being awesome is a testament to that. That feeling of being fresh on the first day of a school is everything for a kid, and I killed it that first day of 6th grade.
Gary Warnett
Favorite Model: Air Max Tuned
Website: Gwarizm
Twitter: @gwarizm
A lot of Nike Air Max models I've loved are played out. The magic's gone due to the retro of the retro of the retro of the retro dropping (though I don't think the Air Max Plus will ever be done to death), but there's still ton of never reissued, unloved shoes in the archives which haven't been rendered super corny. I love the Racer from 1995, Air Max Lights from 1997 (with the Humara-style straps), and 1998 (with the Zoom forefoot), but one of the best ever was the Air Tuned Max from 1999—Alpha Project lunacy with the HR Giger looks via Sergio Lozano (designer of the Air Max 95).
I love all the concept car style stuff from this era and the air unit here was super advanced. They applied that sole to the Air Max 2000 and 2001 as I recall, then it went tubular before reverting back to the Air Max 1997 air unit for the 2003, which seemed like an admission of defeat to me. I bought the Tuned Max in late 1999 because I went to London to buy some of the SC 95s that were in NikeTown and couldn't find my size—I remember feeling like I'd wasted my money and just annihilated them that winter, but I would pay a lot to have this shoe back in the pile of shoes I've amassed. But back then I assumed I'd never be getting nostalgic for what was new on the shelves. This was the last GREAT Air Max. There have been good ones since (Deluxe, 2002, 360, 2009, 2014), but nothing that had its own identity like this one did. I hope it never gets reissued because then I'll just end up hating it.
Ronnie Fieg
Favorite Model: Air Max 90
Website: RonnieFieg.com
Twitter: @ronniefieg
The Air Max 90 Infrared. The color combo is still one of the best executions to date. I would wear a fresh pair every day if I could.
DJ Clark Kent
Favorite Model: Air Max 1
Website: N/A
Twitter: @djclarkkent
That shoe is like none other. The Air Max 1 in the OG red and white colorway, when I saw it I was floored because it had this hole in it. The air bubble. You read Air when you had Air Force 1s, but you saw Air on the Air Max 1. The window to technology. It was the perfect color: red, white, little bit of gray on it. Crazy. It was perfect. I still have my OG pair from '87. I can't wear them because they're an 11.5.
