The Best Air Max Day Releases, Ranked

Images via Nike

Back in 2017, Nike celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Air Max 1’s original release by creating a special “Master” Air Max 1 colorway. The shoe featured a mashup of panels, materials, and colors that combined a few of the silhouette’s most coveted colorways, including collaborations with Patta, Kidrobot, Parra, and Atmos, as well as some of the silhouette’s iconic in-line releases. Additionally, Nike created a white-based, friends-and-family version of the “Master” Air Max 1, further adding to the sneaker’s allure.

Nike collaborated with Hong Kong–based streetwear brand Clot for the very first time in 2006 to create one of the most recognizable Air Max releases to date. That pair was the “Kiss of Death” Air Max 1, which featured elements pulled from the idea of chi, a spiritual energy that flows through the human body and connects with the universe. The collab was famous for its clear toe box, no-liner ankle collar, and a reflexology graphic on the clear outsole. To commemorate the sneaker’s 15th anniversary in 2021, Nike and Clot decided to revisit the project by reissuing a new version of the “Kiss of Death” Air Max 1, albeit with minor changes to distinguish the latest retro from the original pair.

Nike shook up the releases for Air Max Day in 2017 with the introduction of the VaporMax, the brand’s first Air Max sneaker featuring a full-length standalone Air unit. The Nike VaporMax has a simple Flyknit upper that sits atop an Air Max unit with no other components or tooling to give wearers the impression that they are running on air. While the sneaker has lost some of its juice, it remains a ubiquitous model for true Air Max fans as it leads the way for the newer generation of Air Max.

The Air Max Zero was a sneaker that was never supposed to see the light of day at retail. The model was based on Tinker Hatfield’s original vision for the first-ever Air Max sneaker and was conceptualized before the original Air Max 1 was designed, hence the shoe’s name. But in 2016, Nike decided to tell the story of the model and release it to the masses for Air Max Day. The sneaker features a fuse upper with an external heel counter while sitting atop an Air Max 1 Ultra tooling. Nike has since shelved the sneaker, but it saw a huge demand from both Air Max and general sneaker fans alike, with plenty of GR colorways to choose from in the months after its debut.

2006 was a great year for Air Max enthusiasts. In the same year that Clot’s first Air Max arrived, Nike tapped Atmos to create its own rendition of the shoe, dubbed “Animal Pack,” that now resells for around $2,000 on the secondary market. To celebrate 2018’s Air Max Day, the two entities dropped a 2.0 version of the collab that featured all the exotic details that made the original shoe memorable. For the 2.0 version, Atmos creative director Hirofumi Kojima applied faux tiger, leopard, zebra, and pony panels with the intention of creating a sneaker that would stand out in a crowd. Unlike the original version, which featured black panels, this pair used ivory in key areas to differentiate itself from its predecessor.

Back in 2004, Nike tapped artist Dave Ortiz of the now-defunct sneaker boutique Dave’s Quality Meat to collaborate on a sneaker. As the story goes, Ortiz went through months of creative block until finding inspiration one morning after craving a NYC staple: a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. The Air Max 90 “Bacon” was born from that moment, and as the name suggests, the collaboration features the colors of uncooked breakfast meat in its packaging and was released in limited quantities. Years after its original run, Nike re-released the sneaker in 2021 as part of its Air Max Day celebrations for the masses to enjoy without the involvement of Ortiz in the retro rollout.

As we fast-forward to present day, 2023 Air Max Day, Nike is bringing back the Air Max 1 in its classic “University Red” colorway but featuring a different build tuned to the very first run of the shoe. Back in ‘86, the Swoosh produced around 400,000 pairs of the “University Red” Air Max 1 with the big bubble in the midsole before quickly altering the sneaker’s production after discovering that the Air unit had a tendency to crack in cold temperatures. Since then, Nike has replaced the original “Big Bubble” with a slightly smaller Air unit, but now, the brand wants fans to own a piece of Air Max history with the reissue of the “University Red” Air Max 1 equipped with the once-mythical “Big Bubble” detail. The overall shape of the shoe is slightly different from past releases with a slanted upper toward the forefoot, a slightly shorter mudguard, and an elevated heel counter due to the larger-sized Air bubble in the midsole.

Nike knew it had to do something big to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Air Max 1’s original release in 2017 and it did just that when the brand released the “Anniversary” Air Max 1. On the surface, it may have appeared to be just another reissue of the classic “University Red” Air Max 1, a shoe that’s released a load of times over the years, but this pair specifically was designed to mirror the original release from 1987. The entirety of the upper was reworked, including with refined overlay panels, a rounder toe box, and glossy shoelaces. If the release wasn’t nostalgic enough, the 2017 version also came with OG-styled packaging and accessories that true Air Max fans can appreciate.

When it comes to some of the best Air Max collabs ever, the Atmos x Nike Air Max 1 “Elephant” deserves to be in the conversation. The project was first released back in 2007 and was designed after the Air Jordan 3, which is Atmos designer Hirofumi Kojima’s favorite Air Jordan sneaker. To commemorate Air Max Day in 2016, Nike launched the “Vote Back” program, which allowed fans to vote for one Air Max style to be re-released, and the “Elephant” Atmos x Air Max 1 was the winner. In all of its Jordan 3–inspired glory, the collab featured elephant print on the mudguard and collar, along with bold teal accents on the Swoosh logos. Up to this point, Nike hasn’t regularly re-released its prominent sneaker collabs and it was presumed that this sneaker was never coming back, so it came as no surprise that the retro was met with a high level of fanfare.

There shouldn’t be much debate that the Sean Wotherspoon x Nike Air Max 1/97 is the best Air Max Day sneaker to ever release. Back in 2017, Nike announced its “Vote Forward” program, which invited 12 creatives to reimagine existing Air Max sneakers. Sean Wotherspoon, co-founder of consignment store Round Two, took part with his corduroy-covered Air Max 1/97 hybrid. The sneaker has a multicolored pastel Air Max 97 upper that sits atop an Air Max 1 tooling, a nod to two of his favorite models from the franchise. It paid homage to Wotherspoon’s affinity for vintage pieces as the unique corduroy upper was designed to look better after every wear as the material would end up fraying and giving each pair a unique look. The collab was a must-have for sneaker fans. Wotherspoon dropped limited pairs of the collab at ComplexCon in 2017 prior to its official drop on Air Max Day in 2018 and to no one’s surprise, the sneaker sold out instantly and immediately fetched high prices on the secondary market while cementing his place alongside some of the most notable collaborators in the world of sneakers.