The Nike Air Max 90
Considered one of the most iconic silhouettes ever created, the Air Max 90 is known for its bold, aggressive design ‘made to look fast’ and is the most successful Air Max sneaker in Nike history.
Tinker Hatfield was the designer behind the Air Max 90. Taking inspiration from previous Air Max designs, he accentuated the Air Unit in the heel in colorways such as the Infrared (originally called the ‘Hyvent Orange’) with a bold window, making it impossible to miss.
The AM90 features an upper made from Duromesh, synthetic leather and synthetic suede. The outsole is made from rubber. The midsole is made of PU foam, and the footbed from EVA.
The Air Max III (as it was known then) was renamed to the Air Max 90 in 2000. It took its new name from the year of its launch.
First seen in 1990, the Air Max 90 was seen again in 2001 with the release of the model with a tumbled leather upper. Even more memorable drops followed, including the first-ever Air Max collab, the Courir x Air Max 90 ‘Denim’.
In 2004, the trend of wild concepts on the AM90 began with Dave’s Quality Meats (DQM) who developed an Air Max 90 based on bacon.
2008, 2010 and 2015 saw successful retro releases of the AM90, identical to the original with only very small exceptions.
Then, in 2017, Virgil Abloh and his brand Off-White pushed the Air Max 90 in a new direction by giving the model a reconstructed look, laying bare the ‘guts’ of the shoe. Part of ‘The Ten’ drop, it was insanely popular and sold out immediately.
For the model’s 30th anniversary in 2020, Nike recrafted the design to resemble the original profile more closely, slimming it down by tweaking the panels, toe box and heel.
The Air Max 90’s fanbase was originally made up from hardcore runners and sneaker fans, but the model gradually built up a following in all sorts of other places. Nike even specially designed a pair of Air Max 90 for President George Bush, which featured AIR PRES branding on a unique colorway.
Its street-style vibe and low-top design meant that the sneaker could be paired with pretty much any outfit, and this flexibility gave the model the staying power that’s seen it remain popular from its launch right up to the current year.
Upon release, the Air Max 90 normally retails for around €140-150.
Generally, the Air Max 90 runs true to size. However, if you have wide feet you might want to size up half a size.
