About

Nike Air Max 1

There had been air in Nike soles for years before this model existed. The difference in 1987 was that you could see it. Tinker Hatfield borrowed the idea from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, a building that carries its pipes and elevator shafts on the outside instead of hiding them, and applied that same reversal to a midsole.

Nothing was added; something was removed

That’s the point that is often missed. The air chamber was already there; what happened here is that the foam around it was cut away until the window became visible. Look at the heel and you see the result: a window divided into three sections by two solid pillars. Those pillars are not decoration; they are the material that remained.

Smaller than the reputation suggests

Compared with what came later, the window here is modest. It sits exclusively in the heel, does not run forward, and occupies a small part of the sole height. The Air Max 90 made it larger and added a frame around it, the Air Max 95 brought it to the forefoot, and on the Air Max 97 it runs the full length. So this is the starting point of that series, not its pinnacle.

Three materials in strips

The upper is built in strips that each have a different role. Suede on the toe and around the heel, where it rubs. Open mesh in the mid-panel, where heat needs to escape. Smooth leather under the swoosh and around the lacing, where the shoe must hold its shape. The lower edge of that overlay runs in a wave from the toe to the rear, and that wave line appears on every iteration.

How it relates to the rest

In 1987 it was simply called Air Max; the number was only added once there were successors. The full overview of the family is on Nike Air Max. If you’re looking for something flatter and firmer from the same period, the Dunk Low and the Air Force 1 Low sit in a very different category: no visible window, but more shoe around your foot.

On this page you can see which versions of the Nike Air Max 1 are currently hottest according to the Hypescore, the starting prices, and how many shops have them in stock.