INSIDE THE VAULT

The 30th birthday of the Air Max 90 is almost here and we sat down with Magdi Fernandes of Archive DNA to get his take on some of the most important moments in the history of the shoe originally called ‘Air Max III’.

30 is the new 20. And when it comes to sneakers, there aren’t many 30-year-olds that feels as relevant today as the Air Max 90. “The shoe that looked fast”, was the feedback when people saw the shoe for the first time. Tinker Hatfield took inspiration from previous Air Max iterations and brought to life a shoe that is considered today as one of the most iconic silhouettes and colourways ever made. Whilst there were a few colours that were released, including the Spruce (Lime), it was the Infrared (originally called ‘Hyvent Orange’) colour blocking that made the biggest impact.

It took 10 years to bring back the Air Max 90, but in 2001, the wait was over. Releasing in an all-over tumbled leather upper, this shoe created a spark, causing people to search high and low to find this new release to add to their collection. It didn’t take long to see more Air Max 90s come to light with some of the most memorable releases ever. The Escapes, Pythons, Laser Blues, MX Orange and the French exclusive, and first-ever Air Max 90 collaboration, the Courir x Nike Air Max 90 “Denim”. Made exclusively in women’s sizes, this pair has eluded collectors for years and thought to be one of the best Air Max 90s ever made.

Moving forward a couple of years, the love for this icon didn’t stop, and with classic colourways, collaborations and special editions generating heat, the Air Max 90 was becoming a staple. In 2004, the first commercially available shoe that featured ‘laser etching’ was released. Although not an official collaboration, it was Jeff Staple and his team who designed the Air Max 90 Navigation Pack. The lasering was of a bird’s-eye view of a NYC street map—the concept being ‘navigating the sneaker world’ to find your next big shoe.

Staying in New York, and still in 2004, Dave’s Quality Meats (DQM) developed one of the most unusual pairs of Air Max 90s to date; as it was based on Dave’s love of bacon. DQM started the trend of doing wild concepts on the AM90, and Amsterdam soon followed suit by producing the infamous Air Max 90 “Homegrown”, produced as a promo for local music label Top Notch and named after a CD release. Patta, a new store making waves in Amsterdam, was asked to come in and help design them.

Then a short trip over to London in 2011 to introduce the first ever Hyperfuse Air Max 90 and launch at the annual Crooked Tongues BBQ. A special make up was created and given out to the attendees at the BBQ via a competition. The rare and highly sought-after pair was never for sale and, nine years later, it's still talked about as one of the greatest sneaker ‘releases’ ever.
Staying in London, in 2013, Nike teamed up with Roundel to create the London Underground Air Max collection, helping celebrate 150 years of the famous Tube network. The shoe featured a unique geometric pattern that was designed by Misha Black in 1978 for use on the seats of the new District Line service. The first 150 pairs were first available to buy at 6am at the Nike pop-up space in Piccadilly Circus Station.

While the Air Max 90 has always been about the look of sleekness and beauty, in 2017, designer Virgil Abloh from OFF-WHITE pushed the Air Max 90 in a direction unlike any before. He was inspired to give the shoes a reconstructed feel, exposing the thinking behind the masterpiece. He called this “Revealing”. The ground-breaking design laid bare the “guts” of the shoe, celebrating the construction. This, paired with tongue-in-cheek text placement such as “shoelaces”, adds to the iconic, DIY feel.
As the timeline comes to the present day, the stories of the Air Max 90 continue to add to its legend. It will make its way onto our feet with wild designs and even wilder stories behind them. In another 30 years, we will be looking back at this iconic piece of footwear and remembering the global impact it continues to make.