Nike Air Works: 3D-Printed Air Max Shoes from Eight Global Cities

• Air Works is a research, development and design programme, the first of which takes place in May 2026, that brings together individual up-and-coming designers from eight global cities to Nike’s Beaverton, Oregon, headquarters for three days of intensive learning and mentoring alongside Nike designers and engineers.
• The goal of Air Works is to build on Nike's four decades of Air innovation to help ensure that the future of Nike Air will be a collaboration between Nike experts and those who wear them.
• Each designer will develop their own 3D-printed Air Max style, created in partnership with Zellerfeld Shope Company, that reflects their individual personality and style, while paying homage to their culture and community.
• The programme culminates in the launch of each Air Works participant's limited-run Air Max design to celebrate within their community throughout the coming year, leading up to Air Max Day 2027.

Since 1978, with the introduction of Nike’s groundbreaking cushioning Air technology and the debut of the Nike Tailwind, designers have been innovating on the iconic Nike Air Max style and gaining legions of new, loyal fans in communities around the world.

Now, Nike has developed an exciting new program — Air Works — to inspire the next generation of Air Max design and innovation. Nike Sportswear's first-ever Air Max global research, development and design programme, held from 11 to 14 May 2026, brings together eight emerging designers from cities around the world to Nike's Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, Oregon.

"Air Works is about celebrating the cultural impact of Air Max and inviting a core group of global creatives to imagine what its future could look like", says Andy Caine, Nike Sportswear's VP and Creative Director. "It’s also a chance to deliver a deep dive into Air Max history, innovation and inspiration and to unite outside perspectives with Nike-only tools, talent and capabilities to redefine what Air Max means to this generation".

Learning and working directly alongside Nike product designers and engineers, this group of up-and-coming designers from Beijing, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo will receive mentoring and gain hands-on insights. They will build upon four decades of Air Max innovation to help influence new cultural expressions of Air Max for future generations of sneaker enthusiasts interested in limited-edition cultural drops and those curious about 3D-printed Nike footwear technology.

The three-day programme will be an immersive experience into all things Air Max, featuring hands-on collaboration between the global designers, in-house mentors and external collaborators. Additionally, this first class of Air Works designers will gain new insights and perspectives from visits to Nike manufacturing facilities, research labs and design studios, including Nike's Air Manufacturing Innovation facility, the Nike Sport Research Lab, the Department of Nike Archives, Blue Ribbon Studio and the Bowerman Footwear Lab.

From there, the designers will use their newfound insights and knowledge to develop distinctive 3D-printed Air Max styles, created in partnership with Zellerfeld, that reflect their individual styles and personalities while celebrating their global communities.

Following the three-day gathering is the true culmination of the Air Works programme. Each designer will launch their own limited-run, friends-and-family version of their shoe to celebrate within their local community throughout the next year, leading up to Air Max Day 2027, Nike's annual event featuring the release of the latest Air Max models and the return of beloved colourways.