Celebrating the “Month of Air” With City Gear

This article was originally featured on the City Gear blog in February 2018. Last updated: January 1, 2020.

Every year, Nike dedicates March 8 as the official day to celebrate the legacy of the Air Max silhouette, but this year, we’re calling all of March the “Month of Air” to pay homage to one of the most timeless sneakers in history. Air Max Day 2018 will enter its fifth official year of celebration on March 26, but leading up to the date, Nike is releasing several Air Max sneakers throughout the month. Read below to learn more about the history of the Air Max silhouette.

• Nike Air Max 1 – Nike’s first sneaker to reveal the Air-cushioned sole, the Air Max 1 released on March 26, 1987, and was featured in Nike’s first television ad the same year. The innovation of the revolutionary Air technology forever changed the course of sneaker history and ushered in the Air Max era that’s still going strong more than 30 years later.

• Nike Air Max 90 – One reason the word “iconic” has become overused in sneaker journalism is that there are a handful of shoes so perfect that they’re both quintessential to a brand’s identity and continually available. The Nike Air Max 90 is one of those ubiquitous masterpieces. Tinker Hatfield’s third Max Air runner was so well received that it practically owns the exclusive rights to the collection’s “Infrared” coloring, which is only applied to in retro models.

• Nike Air Max 180 – Hatfield worked alongside Bruce Kilgore, the designer of the Air Force 1, to strip away some of the bulky foam of previous models for a more lightweight shoe and make the sneaker’s Air unit bigger than ever. The Air Max 180, which introduced 180 degrees of visible Air cushioning, gave athletes a softer, closer to the ground feel.

• Nike Air Max 93 – First known as the Air Max 270, due to its much-hyped 270-degree Air unit, the Air Max 93 provided more air than ever before with an entirely visible Air unit that extended to the back of the heel.

• Nike Air Max 95 – Tinker Hatfield left the Air Max series in 1994 and Sergio Lozano, a relatively new Nike designer, took the reins for the design of the Air Max 95. The result was the first true departure from the original Air Max design, ultimately making the sneaker one of the most memorable in the Air Max family. And sorry- the original phone number that was advertised with the sneaker debut is no longer in service.

• Nike Air Max 97 – Nike celebrated the Air Max’s 10th anniversary in style with the introduction of the Air Max 97 and its visible heel-to-toe Air cushioning. The industry-leading cushioning was complimented with a super-sleek silver design that was inspired by Japan’s high-speed bullet trains. It was a new direction for the Air Max series…one that laid the foundation for numerous beloved future models.

• Nike Air Max Plus (1998) – Nike’s entirely new Tuned Air technology debuted in 1998 with the launch of the Air Max Plus. This cushioning system combined Nike Air with a system of individual Tuned pods that offered runners high-performance impact protection.

• Nike Air Max Zero – The story behind this highly-coveted Air Max Zero came about when Nike Design Director Graeme McMillan came upon an old sketch by legendary designer Tinker Hatfield that pre-dated Hatfield’s iconic Air Max 1 model. According to Hatfield, the sketch was literally ahead of its time: “Not just in regards to its appearance, but also in terms of the construction it required,”. The One before the 1, the Nike Air Max Zero was revealed just in time for Air Max Day on the March 26, 2015.

• Nike Air VaporMax – The Air VaporMax is Nike’s most advanced Air Max shoe ever, essentially allowing the wearer to stand on nothing but Air. The unisex VaporMax was eight years in the making and is comprised of over 39,000 parts. The sock-like sneaker also holds the title for the lightest Nike Air cushioning created to date, coming in four ounces lighter than its predecessor, the Air Max 2017.

• Nike Air Max 270 – Introducing the newest to the legacy of Air Max, the Nike Air Max 270 ‘Bone White / Hot Punch’ launching March 2, 2018. Drawing inspiration from the Air Max 180 from ’91, these pumped up kicks have taken to the new school and made a place for themselves in the Air Max lineage with a stand-out silhouette and bold colorways that make you feel refreshed and energized enough to take on the world. The stretchy zoned mesh was engineered to provide a flexible structure for resilient dependable shoes that feel just as comfortable as they look. The asymmetrical lacing systems and neoprene bootie construction gives a snug locked-down fit that is cohesive with a 3-piece midsole and heel counter combo for buttery smooth transitions between the heel and toe. On the rear, the extra volume Max Air unit is the star of the show and serves as not only the key design element but also as the apparatus of responsive cushioning that every runner needs. As a result of all of Nike’s efforts, its wearers are christened with lightweight low-density sneakers that show there is always room to be a little bigger, a little better and a little bolder.

Nike introduced its Air Cushioning Technology in 1979. By embedding Air Cushioning in the midsoles of its running shoes, it changed the way athletes approached and reacted to athletic performance forever. Now, nearly 40 years later, athletes and runners see as well as feel the benefits of Nike Air every day. Many Nike Air products have been developed since, and many of them grew to become icons, both on and off the track. As we continue to see the technology evolve, it’s easy to see how impactful the Nike Air Max has been to the sneaker world. Be sure to check back for more Air Max and Nike releases, and if you’re looking for a store near you, head over to our Hibbett | City Gear store locator.