BEHIND THE DESIGN

For British-Nigerian artist Skepta, the Nike Air Max BW is a classic—a shoe all about the swagger associated with its hard lines and 'Big Window' air bubble. "When I was younger, the Nike Air bubble was the flex", says Skepta. "The bigger your air bubble was, the more people knew you were stepping well". Six years after the BW's release came the Air Max 97, which introduced even bigger Nike Air in the form of a visible, full-length bag. Skepta had an idea to combine a 97 sole with a BW upper, paying off the 'Big Window' promise for today's youth and nodding to a specific moment in grime music culture.

Just as Skepta's first Nike collaboration was inspired by the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, the Air Max 97/BW pays tribute to another city that has been central to his journey—Paris. The French capital embraced Skepta early on in his career and as such his love for the city runs deep. While the overt colours of the shoe's Swoosh logos reference the French flag, the specific colour reference for the blue comes from Marrakesh's Jardin Majorelle, an electric-blue villa created in the 1920s for a prominent French painter.

"I initially wanted to have padlocks on the shoe, inspired by punk rock", says Skepta, who wears his own padlock chain. "I remembered the bridge in Paris, where people go to 'lock' their love with someone they love. That's why I've decided to launch the shoe in Paris and involve the people and the city who have shown me love since the beginning". Subtle details like mesh from the Air Tuned Max, OG Air Max 97 tooling, a reflective vamp panel and flexible laces recall the retro models that Skepta grew up on. The Air Max 97/BW SK also has the SK Air logo on the outsoles. The logo pays homage to the Air Max Plus logo and is in the shape of a UK electrical socket.

"We combined elements and time periods for this shoe in the same way that kids mix clothes today, or the way that musicians combine genres", says Jupiter Desphy, Nike Sportswear Senior Footwear Designer. "We wanted to have as much fun with this shoe as possible".