The Nike Air Max franchise has evolved endlessly since its introduction in 1987 and is known for revolutionising the way that trainers work and look.
The Air Max 1 dropped in 1987, following from the first use of air soles in footwear in Nike’s Air Tailwind design in 1978. Designed by Tinker Hatfield, the sneaker legend behind the Air Jordan line, the Air Max 1 changed the face of the sneaker industry and was the first pair of trainers to have a visible bubble. Taking cues from Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers’ Pompidou Centre in Paris, which has an iconic visible skeleton structure, the Air Max 1 showed the inner workings of a trainer.
Since then, there have been a string of Air Max releases. From the Air Max 90 in, you guessed it, 1990 and the Air Max ‘93 a few years later to the Air Max 2 and Air Max Deluxe later on in the 1990s, the franchise is one of the best in Nike’s extensive catalog. The last drop was in 2019, the line’s “Aurora Borealis”-hued Air Max 720, which came complete with a bulky (the tallest to date) airbag unit and futuristic, swirly design.
Now, after debuting on Air Max Day earlier this month, Nike’s Adapt Auto Max has swiftly become the must-own trainer of the month and, true to Air Max form, is taking the sneaker game further.
The latest asset to the AM collection, the trainers are about as futuristic as technology allows right now. Backed by “FitAdapt” technology, the Adapt Auto Max comes complete with power laces that allow you to set and save the perfect fit for your foot, in a way that the Mag did in Back To The Future Part 2. As well as this, the kicks come complete with tailored mood lighting, which are programmed using your voice, with the help of Siri Shortcuts and Google Assistant.
What’s more, a TPU plate wraps your foot, giving you added stability, while, underfoot, a new, never-before-seen Max Air unit provides more air than ever for an ultra-soft ride, should you choose to run in these.
