Every year, Air Max Day is celebrated on the 26th of March. On this day Nike honours the official launch date of the Air Max 1’s and it’s innovative air-technology. To properly celebrate the occasion, Nike releases an exclusive and limited edition Air Max sneaker, providing a tangible and sentimental value to corroborate the day. So you can add it to your calendar and never miss an Air Max day, we’ve listed the date for the next five years.
When is Air Max day?
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 26th March | Saturday |
| 2023 | 26th March | Sunday |
| 2024 | 26th March | Monday |
| 2025 | 26th March | Wednesday |
| 2026 | 26th March | Thursday |
Whtat is Air Max day?
Air Max Day is a celebratory event created by Nike to honour the launch of Nike’s most recognisable product line that undoubtedly changed the trajectory of a plateauing brand back in 1987. The Air Max 1 was designed by Tinker Hatfield, who initially joined Nike as an architect in 1981, but after four years, he began designing sneakers upon request, applying his expertise to this new endeavour. Tinker has openly expressed that he drew inspiration from art and music of the time. Beyond the influence of art and music, a big factor that drove the success of the Air Max 1 was the new air cushioning technology, which has the signature translucent bubble unit. The undeniable success of the Air Max 1 paved the way for other sneakers from the Air Max line to hit the market, and in its own right, gained popularity and success, such as the Air Max 95, Air Max 97 and the Air Max 270.
With decades passing and the unwavering popularity of the Air Max continuing to build, this alone was more than enough to establish a day for its longevity, global appeal and revenue numbers. 2014 was the first of many Air Max Days to come, with Nike releasing an exclusive and limited Air Max to commemorate the day. This year marks 34 years from when the Air Max 1 was officially released.
Our favourite Air Max’s
In celebration of Air Max Day, we wanted to list our top three Air Max silhouettes released to date. We wanted to keep it simple, so we based our list on three deciding factors: aesthetics, cultural impact and outfit diversity.
Air Max 1
What kind of article would this be if we left out the sneaker of the moment. But that’s not the only reason why the Air Max 1 made it into our top three. The sleek design and flattering silhouette could blend seamlessly with a variety of outfits to suit the mood of the wearer or the occasion. With this sneaker, you could aim for the casual look with jeans, or a trendy approach with high-ankle trousers, or a chilled vibe with a tracksuit. In terms of influence, it’s unquestionable it was heavily adapted by those born between the late 80s and 90s as a prominent sneaker of choice. (1) being the power Nike had in the market at the time, (2) the unique selling point of the sneaker the translucent bubble, (3) the comfortability, and final, (4) the diversity of style.
Air Max 97
These sneakers had a massive impact on streetwear fashion across the United Kingdom in the early 2000s, to the point, it was hard to spot a pedestrian who wasn’t wearing a pair. What made the 97’s significantly standout was the colourways, Nike’s really began to push the boundaries by choosing metallic colours that gave a gloss and shimmer to the silhouette. Despite the creative change, Christian Tresser did so in a tasteful way upholding its likeability amongst men and women. Tresser made his mark with the flamboyant colourways but never steered away from the essence of the Air Max lineage, keeping the signature Air Max bubble unit but had it designed along the length of the midsole. The only downside we would about the Air Max 97’s was the limited style variety, we believe the sneaker is best paired with a tracksuit, preferably a Nike one.
Air VaporMax
The VaporMax is the latest in Air Max innovation, with its official retail launch in 2017. The sneaker retired the need to encase the bubble unit in a foam unit midsole but instead uncaged the bubble unit to be the midsole. This new sole unit merged with a weight light textile fabrics, such as flyknit created a very comfortable, lightweight and agile sneaker perfect for vigorous activities. Because of its flattering silhouette and wearable benefits, this sneaker became massively popular amongst the young and ambitious fitness community, only really seeing the sneaker styled with sweatpants, sports leggings and gym shorts, and to be honest, it would be very hard to find an outfit outside of the fitness attire. With that said, Nike really did a great job this sneaker, continuously pushing boundaries with their air-technology and evolving the Air Max lineage.
Let us know through Instagram what your top three Air Max sneakers are. Just use #FootwearBeast or use @FootwearBeastUK.