Since debuting in 1987, the Nike Air Max has transcended scenes and trends to become an unmatched cultural force, making the silhouette’s presence felt in different countries and cities around the world. But no city has embraced the silhouette and all of the many designs and series like London.
To celebrate the cities special love for this year’s Air Max Day, we’ve partnered with two sneaker cultural powerhouses The Drop Date and Sneaker Freaker to present Rair: An Exhibition Celebrating London’s Love for Air Max. During this exhibition we will be showcasing the rarest Air Maxes from 1987 to now, explaining their significance and global impact on the culture and overall sneaker community. Feel free to check out the event from March 27th to March 31st, during times 12pm – 7pm at 15 Bateman Street in Soho, London.
But don’t trip if you can’t make it out to the exhibition. We’ve got some of the highlights pulled for you on this blog post. Please scroll down and check out a taste of some of the monumental Air Maxes that we have on display.
Air Max 90 Patta “Homegrown Grass”
Whenever Nike and Patta collab it’s always an iconic experience. With this being Patta’s first time given the opportunity to create a colorway for a legendary silhouette, the Dutch streetwear brand didn’t let down AM 90 fans. Showing love to the Netherlands and its pure green weed culture, and also providing sneaker heads with a shoe to remember forever.
Air Max 90 X Kaws
2008 was a major year for contemporary art, so major that KAWS had the opportunity to create their very own pack of Air Max 90’s. The set came with two sneakers, one white and another black coming with volt green accents which displayed “XX” stitched near the toe box giving a major nod to “Original Fake”.
Air Max 90 Dizzee Rascal Tongue N Cheek
One of Grime music pioneers Dizzee Rascal released his fourth album “Tongue N Cheek”, which was later on the inspiration for the AM 90 designed by “Tongue N Cheek” cover art artist Ben Dury. This pink tongue shoe wasn’t just impactful for the sneaker community but also for the grime culture, handing proceeds to the charity Tower Hamlets Summer University.
Air Max 90 Footpatrol
Providing nothing but earthy vibes, London store “Footpatrol” was able to team up with Nike to provide a AM 90 back in 2005 that sports smooth brown leather, striking black Nike “Swoosh”, and eye catching polka dots. This sneaker was available in a black colorway as well which would later on allow both sneakers to be considered rare gems.
Air Max 90 DQM Bacon
Bringing his “Meat” phrases to life, Dave Ortiz from Dave’s Quality Meat clothing store was given the opportunity to create a colorway for the AM 90 that would eventually be a silhouette for the ages. This AM 90 sports a variety of red colors giving off impressions of raw meats that compliments a soothing brown midsole and sole.
Air Max 1 Anniversary Red
For the first time ever, Nike and Tinker Hatfield had opened up the midsole of the Air Max 1 leading to a shock wave that touched the entire world of people who loved sneakers. This classic AM 1 originally dropped in two simple colorways (Red and Blue) during the late 80’s and is still arguably one of Nike’s best silhouette of all time 30 years later.
Air Max 90 OG Infrared (2015)
Taking the world by storm in 1990, the first Air Max 90 was Tinker Hatfield’s third installment in the Air Max series. The first AM 90 aka Air Max III would debut in 3 different colorways but it was the “Radiant Red” that caught people’s attention from miles away and also sported a heart shaped Nike logo patch on the heel. It wasn’t until 13 years later that same “Radiant Red” would become forever referred to as “Infrared”.
Air Max 95 Patch OG Neon
Being the new kid on the block and receiving the designer thrown from Tinker Hatfield could be too much pressure to handle, but it never phased Sergio Lozano. Lozano started off guns blazing releasing the futuristic Air Max 95 rocking 4 upper panels, air max bubble midsole, and neon green accents that made the sneaker community go insane. This sneaker became a huge staple in Nike’s impact regarding sneaker culture.
Air Max 97 Silver Bullet
Building off the Air Max 95 silhouette, Nike designer Christian Tresser would eventually debut the Air Max 97 “Silver Bullet” in 1997, which took inspiration from Japan’s Shinkansen “Bullet” trains styling in a silver mesh upper with additional 3M reflective piping on the side. This innovative sneaker would go on to come in different memorable colorways like “Gold metallic”, “CVS”, and “Neon (Reassure) that is still relevant till this day.
Air Max 1 Atmos “Tiger Camo x Snakeskin”
Having notoriety stemming from their sneaker boutique in Tokyo, Atmos has always delivered premium heat when collabing with Nike. When Nike presented the chance for Atmos to create their own models for the Air Max 1, both Sato Yuichi and Koji (Kinects) did nothing be develop historical masterpieces. Two sneakers were in this release, both colorways sports a beautiful animal print (Tiger Camo x Snakeskin) that will stick to your memory. The two would also release more air max colorways that people would pay thousands of dollars for.
For a full look at all of the heat on display, make sure to come by RAIR and check out the event from March 27th to March 31st, during times 12pm – 7pm at 15 Bateman Street in Soho, London.
