INSIDE THE VAULT

In the storied Air Max lineage, the Air 180 and Air Max 93 represent Nike’s early beginnings with blow-molded Air units. It began with the Air 180, an Air Max icon born from the minds of Nike design pioneers Bruce Kilgore and Tinker Hatfield.

The initial focus of the Air 180 was led by the goal to make air more visible than ever. Using a horseshoe as inspiration, the designers sought to execute an air bag that spanned all the way around the heel. The first-of-its-kind Air unit proved the blow-molding process useful and marked the first time a urethane outsole was molded to an Air bag.

The 180 degrees of Air would be combined with a sock-like stretch dynamic inner sleeve and a debut colorway that was as wild as the innovation it outfitted.

The minds behind the designs would continue to work on mastering the blow-molding process, presenting a further perfected use of the innovation in the Air Max 93.

Now utilizing 270 degrees of visible Air cushioning, the in-your-face 1993 Air Max housed Air units inspired by milk jugs.

While it was the Air Max 1 that brought visible Air to the world, it was the Air 180 and the Air Max 93 that sparked the quest to make it larger than life.