30 years of the Nike Air Max

Characterised by distinctive air bubbles underneath the heel, the Air Max is one of Nike’s most widely recognised sneaker styles. But if you thought those little (or large, in some instances) air bubbles were there purely for aesthetics, you’ve got it all wrong. For example, did you know that the air pressure inside the Nike Air Max bubble usually measures around 25 pounds of nitrogen per square inch? And that this allows the wearer to put less weight on the ground, thus allowing them to expel less energy, all while absorbing impact forces and protecting the muscles, joints and tendons of the legs and feet.

March 26 is International Nike Air Max Day, so it’s a fitting time to learn more about the background of the trainer and to understand its global influence – even here, in the UAE.

The first Nike Air Max was born from the creative input of two key individuals at Nike. The first was Tinker Hatfield, a designer, who wanted runners who wear Nike trainers to be able to see the cushioning technology in their shoes. The second was David Forland, the brand’s director of cushioning innovation, who constructed the first air-sole prototypes.

From Nike’s first Air Max 1 produced in 1987, to the Air Max Thea Flyknit Metallic that was released last year for women, the Air Max family is incredibly expansive. The Air Max 90 in particular, which was the second Air Max design, produced in 1990, is a favourite among celebrities like Rihanna, Kanye West and John Mayer. Former United States president Barack Obama even owns a pair of Nike Air Max trainers.

Though Nike is synonymous with sportswear, and the brand’s early footwear initiatives catered to male athletes, the brand currently holds a strong link with fashion and street style. Hand-in-hand with the sports-luxe and athleisure style trends, which have surfaced over the past five years and encourage women to wear sport-inspired apparel and footwear, the Nike Air Max has emerged as a must-have shoe design. The Air Max Thea is available in neon, neutral and pastel shades, and is a popular choice among female consumers. In fact, between 2012 and 2013, online retailer Asos.com reported that sales of Nike Air Max shoes had increased by 320 per cent, and deemed the trainers to be “casual wardrobe staple”.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Air Max and Nike will launch its all-new Nike Air Vapor Max, a running performance shoe, priced at Dh999.

Also, to celebrate the shoe’s 30th birthday, Nike’s Middle East division has joined forces with three regional creatives: Rollan Rodriguez, Rami Afifi and Dina Saadi. Each artist was asked to interpret an Airmax Retro through artwork for a shoebox. These designs will be unveiled at an event at the Nike store in Mall of the Emirates on March 26, from 6pm to 9pm.

hlodi@thenational.ae

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Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.