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Nike Air Max 270: the first Air Max that never ran

Every Air Max before this started as a running shoe and only later became streetwear. The 270 reversed that in 2018: it was the first Air Max designed from the drawing board as a lifestyle shoe. The name is arithmetic — the air window in the heel is visible over 270 degrees, from one flank around the heel to the other. At release it was the largest Air unit Nike had ever put in a shoe, and it never had to do anything other than be there.

When comparing, watch for the React addition: just over a quarter of what’s on this page is an Air Max 270 React. That shares only the heel window — the upper is made of smooth, wavy panels instead of open mesh, and the forefoot contains React foam. Separate page, separate character; the title always states the difference.

You can recognize the regular 270 blindfolded. The upper is a double layer of mesh with elongated, oval windows that run over the toe and the flanks, and the model code as Nike prints it appears in two places: AIR27C, on the flank by the heel and again on the tongue tab. The inner collar is trimmed in a contrasting material, there’s a pull tab at the back, and the midsole foam stops where the heel window begins — from there only air carries your weight.

The formula wasn’t entirely new, and Nike didn’t hide that: the oversized tongue comes from the Air Max 180, and the construction of the heel window builds on the Air Max 93, the shoe that was already commonly called “the 270” because its air chamber ran so far. The 2018 270 made that nickname a model name. Anyone who wants to see the end of that road should look at the VaporMax, where the midsole disappeared entirely.

Nice detail for those who like systems: Asics uses exactly the same arithmetic on the Gel Quantum, with 360, 180 and 90 as degrees of visible cushioning. Two brands, one language: the number tells you how much technology you get to see.

On this page you can see which versions of the Nike Air Max 270 are currently hottest according to the Hypescore, from which price they can be found and at how many shops they are in stock.