Nike Air Max 1 - air technology on full display

In 1987, the Nike Air Max 1 was the first shoe by Nike that put the Nike Air Technology on full display. Before the Nike Air Max 1, Nike hid the air pocket within the heel of the shoe, nervous that the odd air pocket meant for maximum hops would scare people off. However, when the shoe’s designers decided to bravely display the Nike Air technology in the heel, people embraced the change.

The Nike Air Max 1 thus became a revolution in fashion that changed the image of streetwear forever, even though the air pockets that were now on display had been hidden in Nike trainers since 1978. It took the genius of designers like Tinker Hatfield to unlock the potential of Nike as a fashion icon, and that’s exactly what he did with the Nike Air Max 1.

To go with its controversial appearance, the inspiration of the Nike Air Max 1 came from an unusual muse, The Centre Pompidou in Paris. As a trained architect, it seemed natural for Hatfield to be creatively stimulated by architecture; the ‘inside-out’ style of the building uniquely spoke out to Hatfield, whereas others may have drawn nothing from it. The revelation pushed the ex-architect past any creative articles to the idea and helped the shoe grow to the fame it has today.

NIKE AIR MAX 1

The Nike Air Max 1 is one of the most well-known shoes to be created by Nike, but did you know:

• the Nike Air Max 1 was the first time that Nike Air tech was made visible through a window into the shoe’s heel?
• the air pocket within the heel was first invented around 10 years before anyone had the idea to put it on display?
• the shoe was based on an ‘inside-out’ designed building in Paris?