Most Memorable Air Max Day Releases

Image via GOAT

For the first Air Max Day in 2014, Nike was keen on setting the tone. Starting with the inaugural Air Max 1, the game-changing runner was celebrated in its original colorway, accented by thematic tongue tagging and modern volt accents. Fittingly, Nike’s bright shade surrounded their everlasting innovation, adding a whole new edge to the once radical running shoe. Fittingly, fans freaked out, providing the platform for the classic-meets-contemporary drops that would define the annual event for years to come.

Round Two co-founder Sean Wotherspoon went from everyman to the man after winning Nike’s first-ever Vote Forward competition in 2017. The bearded vintage aficionado stripped Christian Teller’s metallic Air Max 97 of its reflective shine and full-length Air cushioning, rehashing the progessive running shoe with heavy corduroy and an archival Air Max 1 sole. By rethinking a model from the ’90s with the tooling of the ’80s and the soul of the ’70s, Weatherspoon somehow spoke to contemporary kids obsessed with old clothing. Even years after its arrival, the shoe still serves as the signifier of the modern sneakerhead.

In 2007, Japanese brand and boutique Atmos was hand-picked by Nike to collaborate on the Nike Air Max—an archival favorite from 19 years back. Doubling down on Tinker Hatfield history, the ’87 Air Max pulled a page from the following year’s Air Jordan 3 by lifting its iconic elephant print and adding it to retro runners for the first time. The collaboration took the shop’s storied “Animal Pack” projects to new heights, bathing the elephant with a splash of teal on the Swoosh, with all 2,000 pairs produced moving fast. A decade later, the revered retro won Nike’s Vote Back campaign, releasing on Air Max Day 2017 and turning heads from Tokyo to Harlem.

In 1987, Tinker Hatfield defied convention by exposing Nike’s trademark technology on the Air Max 1. Decades later, CLOT’s Edison Chen chose to expose something entirely different when tasked to design his own Air Max 1: his feet. Made memorable by a translucent toe box, 2006’s “Kiss of Death” Air Max 1 was both lux and imaginative. Still sought after by collectors in original form, CLOT and Nike have returned the Air Max 1 “Kiss of Death” in 2021 with added ventilation and flipped hits on the heel. 

Celebrating Air Max Day 2019, the Nike Air Max 95 “Have a Nike Day” dropped the grey gradients the model was most known for in favor of pastel textiles and positive vibes. Thematic eyelet text and a smiley face stamped tongue said it all on this drop that defied the Air Max 95’s original design ethos of running in rainy conditions. Turning over a new leaf, these Air Max Day retros were designed for creating a sunny mood no matter the weather.

In the spring of 2019, Chinese jewelry designer Cash Ru became a worldwide sneaker star with the release of his Nike Air Max 97 “Shanghai Kaleidoscope” collaboration. By winning a similar On Air contest previously taken home by Sean Wotherspoon, Cash called upon his home of Shanghai for inspiration on this cloudy colorway. The finished product provided a floating, blue sky style that still captivates collectors in both hemispheres.

When faced with a deadline from Nike, Dave Ortiz turned to his stomach and surroundings for inspiration on his first retro running collaboration: the Dave’s Quality Meat x Nike Air Max 90 “Bacon.” Debuted in 2004 and sporting the same styling as a package of the uncooked breakfast meat, the shoe embodied the butcher shop concept created by Ortiz. After years of waiting and rumored release dates, the “Bacon” Air Max 90s are finally back for 2021 with enough sizzle to feed the frenzy.

All sneakers available now on GOAT.