Icons have their day. Martin Luther King Jr. has January 15, and Prince Day is on June 7.
Nike’s best-known shoes, Air Max, also have their birthday. Air Max Day is Sunday, March 26.
It’s been 36 years since the popular shoe franchise first appeared. Nike honors the iconic line yearly with limited releases, live content, quizzes and other activities.
The first, iconic Air Max 1 was designed by the legendary footwear designer Tinker Hatfield, who was also the designer of the Air Jordan 3-15. The Air Max is a Nike sneaker line launched in 1987.
He was inspired by the Centre Pompidou’s exposed interior spaces, notably the red-bottomed tunnel that protrudes from the Parisian structure designed by Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers and Gianfranco Franchini. Hatfield included a midsole window into the silhouette to allow the wearer to see the compressed air that gives the shoe its cushioned sensation.
Air Max Day honors the Air Max brand and all of its creators, including Christian Tresser (Air Max 95), Tinker Hatfield (Air Max 1) and Sergio Lozano (Air Max 97). On March 26 of each year, Nike releases a brand-new iteration of the Air Max.
An iconic shoe is returning on Air Max Day 2023 — The Nike Air Max 1 Big Bubble ’86 ‘University Red.’ The drop will be on the SNKRS app at 8 a.m. MST on March 26.
A brand-new shoe design — the Nike Air Max Pulse — incorporates the Air heel unit from the Air Max 270, which has been updated with responsive point-loaded cushioning technology and vintage branding reminiscent of Nike sneakers from the 1990s. On Nike Air Max Day, the sneaker will premiere in the “phantom/high voltage/white” colorway. Soon after, the “grey/black” and “cobblestone” models are expected to release.
Rapper Macklemore used to pop the air bubble from air max and get free shoes from Niketown since the air bubble has a lifelong guarantee. The company will send buyers the same sneaker or the newest model of that sneaker if this happens.