Nike Air Max 1: where the history of visible Air begins
The Nike Air Max 1 is the model from which one of the most important families in Nike's history takes shape.
When it debuted in 1987, the real revolution was not just the presence of Air cushioning—a technology Nike had already been using for years—but the decision to make it visible through an open window in the midsole.
Thus, the starting point for the Nike Air Max universe was born: a line that would go on to produce very different silhouettes over the years, all linked by the idea of turning Air technology into a recognizable part of the design.
Tinker Hatfield and the Centre Pompidou inspiration
The design of the Air Max 1 bears the signature of Tinker Hatfield.
During a trip to Paris, the designer was struck by the Centre Pompidou and its “inside-out” architecture: pipes, structures, and components normally hidden were brought to the exterior of the building, becoming part of its visual identity.
Hatfield applied a similar principle to the sneaker, removing a portion of the midsole to showcase the Nike Air unit.
Even today, Nike identifies the Centre Pompidou as the inspiration that led Hatfield to make the Air cushioning of the Air Max 1 visible.
That window would go on to become one of the most recognizable elements in the entire Nike catalog.
The design of the Nike Air Max 1
Despite numerous reinterpretations over the years, the structure of the Air Max 1 has remained immediately recognizable.
The upper uses a paneled construction with a wavy mudguard that wraps around the lower part of the sneaker, while the Air window remains visible in the heel area.
It is a silhouette that started as a running shoe but gradually became a lifestyle model, without ever completely losing the references to its sporty origins.
It is precisely this relatively simple structure that has allowed the Air Max 1 to become a particularly effective base for widely different colorways, materials, and collaborations.
Patta x Nike Air Max 1
Patta holds a particularly important role in the recent history of the Air Max 1.
The Amsterdam retailer has worked on the silhouette multiple times, building a relationship with Nike over time that has produced some of the most recognizable Air Max 1s in the collector's market.
One of the most well-known projects is Waves, in which the traditional Air Max 1 mudguard is transformed through a much more prominent wavy line.
Colorways like Monarch, Noise Aqua, Rush Maroon, and Black reinterpret the same construction through different palettes.
Added to these releases are celebratory projects like the Patta 20th Anniversary Chlorophyll, which show how the relationship between Patta and the Air Max 1 has become continuous over time.
The relationship between Patta and the Air Max 1 has evolved into one of the most consistent ones linked to the silhouette, with reinterpretations that have modified materials, colors, and, above all, the characteristic mudguard without losing the original identity of the model.
Travis Scott and the Air Max 1 Cactus Jack
Travis Scott has also used the Air Max 1 as a base for his Cactus Jack language.
The Baroque Brown, Saturn Gold, and Wheat versions reinterpret the silhouette through natural palettes, different materials, and details inspired by the outdoor world.
Compared to the Jordan 1, where the Reverse Swoosh immediately becomes the star, the Travis Scott Air Max 1s work more deeply on the general construction of the sneaker.
They are part of a much wider catalog that includes Jordans, Dunks, and other silhouettes, collected in the selection dedicated to Nike x Travis Scott.
Supreme x Nike Air Max 1
Supreme has also brought its identity to the Air Max 1.
The Air Max 1 '87 SP Supreme keeps the structure of the original silhouette clearly recognizable but introduces branding and colorways linked to the collaboration with the New York brand.
Black White, Triple White, Varsity Purple, and Speed Yellow versions show how the same base can take on very different identities simply through palettes and details.
These releases insert the Air Max 1 into the long history of the Nike Supreme collaboration, which over the years has also involved the SB Dunk, Air Force 1, and numerous other silhouettes.
Concepts, CLOT, Parra and Kasina
The history of the Air Max 1 cannot be told through a single collaboration.
Concepts has worked on the silhouette using much more complex materials and patterns, with versions like Mellow, Heavy, and Far Out.
CLOT reinterpreted the Air Max 1 through the Kiss of Death project, while Parra brought his own graphic and chromatic language to the silhouette.
Kasina, meanwhile, used Korean cultural references for its Won-Ang.
These projects show why the Air Max 1 has become one of Nike's longest-running collaborative platforms: the structure remains recognizable even when materials, palettes, and references change completely.
Sean Wotherspoon and the Air Max 1/97
A special case is the Nike Air Max 1/97 Sean Wotherspoon.
The model combines the upper of the Air Max 97 with the sole of the Air Max 1, creating a hybrid sneaker that links two different generations of the Air Max family.
The corduroy upper and the use of numerous colors made the shoe immediately recognizable and turned it into one of the most well-known Air Max releases on the collector's market.
It is also an important example of how Nike has used its archive not only to reissue old models but also to combine elements from different silhouettes.
Air Max 1, Air Max 90, 95 and 97: what changes
The Air Max 1 represents the origin of the Air Max language, but subsequent generations interpreted the same idea in very different ways.
The Nike Air Max 90 uses more aggressive lines and visually accentuates the area around the Air unit.
The Nike Air Max 95 completely changes proportions and construction through layered side panels and a design inspired by human anatomy.
The Nike Air Max 97 instead introduces an upper characterized by wavy lines and a much more extensive presence of Air along the sole.
The Air Max 1 remains the closest to the running aesthetic of the eighties and the model from which the entire evolution of the family begins.
Original Nike Air Max 1 and collector sneakers
The Air Max 1 catalog today includes very different releases.
Alongside the most accessible colorways, there are collaborations, special editions, and models produced in more limited quantities that can become increasingly difficult to find after their launch.
Patta, Travis Scott, Supreme, Parra, CLOT, Concepts, and other collaborations have also created a much wider collector's market than just general release colorways.
For these sneakers, authenticity, condition, and completeness of the pair therefore take on particular importance. Products sold by ResellZone as original are subjected to the checks required by the verification process, detailed on the page dedicated to product authenticity.