When Tinker Hatfield decided to give Air Max 1 a visible air bubble, he ultimately changed the sneaker game forever. Over thirty years on, Air Max continues to evolve, imbuing the latest innovations in tech with Nike’s unmatched eye for design.
Forever championing those who think outside the (shoe) box, Nike asked menswear designer Alexandra Hackett and head of Pitch Studios Christie Morgan to collaborate on an interactive digital workshop inspired by the Air Max 270 – the newest silhouette in the Air Max family.
Alexandra Hackett (aka Mini Swoosh) is known for sourcing textiles that aren’t traditionally associated with fashion, and extending their life by repurposing them into apparel.
“I look at properties of different textiles and apply them to different items of clothing so that their function can be transferred. Polyethylene, for instance, can be translated into outerwear products because it has the same water resistant properties that you would need. It’s about transferring function from different industries into the clothing industry.”
Nike selected “Mini Swoosh” as one of twelve RevolutionAirs to reimagine the Air Max’s future. Her sleek design paid homage to nine previous Air Max, and proposed using Tyvek (machine washable paper) to evoke a Nike receipt. An ardent lover of Nike’s iconic branding, Hackett included three Swooshes on the upper.
“Everyone said there were too many, but I think it was just more noticeable due to the contrast in colour. I definitely wouldn’t remove any, but I like Swooshes, obviously.”
Christie Morgan was freelancing in design, branding and art direction when she started Pitch Zine in 2011. A publication that showcased and connected emerging talent in art and fashion, Pitch’s following and influence grew rapidly, setting the standard for offbeat fashion editorial. After a hiatus, Morgan decided to re-launch Pitch as a creative studio in mid-2017.
“Initially, Pitch Studios focused on more traditional approaches to design, but this year I’ve been more interested in integrating tech or innovative software into my projects. So it’s been a great way to develop and evolve my practice.”
Soon after launching, Pitch Studios was commissioned by The Tate Britain as part of their “Cut and Colour” exhibition. To explore the politics of hair – how we cut, colour and change our hair based on societal values – Morgan and her team chose to reinterpret Eileen Agar’s Angel of Anarchy (1936-1940) through digital mediums.
“We created an animation which was projected at one of the Tate’s ‘Late at Tate’ events. It was a really nice juxtaposition of physical and digital. You had these physically constructed sculptures and then a representation of something in 3D.”
“We also did an interactive workshop that used those elements to make digital collages, which the audience were able to take home. It was a more explorative and interactive way of using our assets.”
Last week, Melbourne’s beloved Curtin House was transformed into Nike’s “Air House”, where patrons could experience Morgan and Hackett’s interpretation of the 270. It was a collaborative labor of love, bolstered by Morgan and Hackett’s natural rapport (they are childhood friends), and hindered by polarising time-zones.
“A lot of time and work went into this project, so we really want to emphasise the process behind the final result during the actual workshop. We think people always get more out of an experience knowing the context and process behind it all.”
The pair hail from two different disciplines – Morgan largely works within the digital and tech realm, whereas Hackett’s creations are tangible and ultimately made to be worn.
“To combine our talents, we had to dig deeper than the physicality of what we create,” says Hackett. “We looked closely at our concepts and how we approach design. I love deconstructing elements and then reconstructing them into something new, so we looked at a way of digitising that process to come full circle into a product that could be created.”
“And I’m really interested in internet culture, and taking the alternate reality from a computer to turn into a workshop, where you get to interact with something physically,” says Morgan.
Though they boast different fortes, Morgan and Hackett share a knack for seeing things in a different light than most, and turning this imagination into reality. The Air Max 270 served as the starting point for the workshop. They looked at how the sneaker took the air bubble, a marvellous piece of tech for performance shoes, to create the first ever lifestyle Air Max.
Aiming to recreate this seamless blend of tech and fashion, the duo deconstructed the 270 into individual elements that could be manipulated on an iPad app. Users reconstructed the assets into personalised prints that were then sent off to become t-shirts.
The space was filled with objects d’art Hackett made from repurposing Nike goods: armchairs upholstered in Nike socks; beanbags reconstructed from Nike gym sacks.
Morgan and Hackett led a panel discussion that covered their work processes, preparation for the workshop, as well as the role of women in male-dominant fields.
“I’m moving more towards tech, which is very male dominated," says Morgan. I’m saying ‘tech’, but this issue relates to any industry. I think women want to be equal and respected as industry leaders. We want to be equal, and there are steps that men have to take for this to happen. They need to be supporting us more."
“Up until I began working full time freelance, I worked at a number of sneaker stores," says Hackett. "My last job in London was at Foot Patrol, where I was one of two women in the store. I feel like the industry has changed dramatically in the last few years though – we’re seeing more and more women in the scene."
As an agency director that works with brands across all creative realms, Morgan takes a particular interest in branding.
“I’ve always really respected Nike as a brand. They've always been this wildly successful brand that gets it right every time. You see their shoes everywhere. I only got into sneakers a couple years ago and Nike Air Max 90s were my first purchase. I’ve never looked back!”
As one of Nike’s most storied sneaker lines, most Air Max models have been reissued in colourways old and new, in OG silhouettes, or with air bubbles borrowed from a predecessor. Though there’s probably never been a better time to be a sneakerhead, Hackett remains sentimental about the Air Max that got away.
“I used to work at a Nike factory outlet. I still remember when five years ago, the Nike Plus (TN) was a kind of taboo shoe that not many people wore. We had a pair on the shelves that were all white with baby pink on them. I looked at them for weeks, til there were only a few pairs left that hadn't sold. Everyone I worked with were like, ‘No, you can't buy them’.
I never bought them and it’s my biggest regret. I haven’t seen that colourway since. I think about that shoe all the time.”
Nike's Air House takes place at Curtin House, and is open to the public on Saturday 24 March. Nike will be collaborating with Boiler Room for a special Air Max Day event on Sunday March 26, which you can catch online here from 6-11pm AEDST.
