STYLE AND CULTURE

5 NIKES CELEBRATING BIG BIRTHDAYS IN 2018

By Chris Sayer, 27 July 2018

Any day is a good day to buy trainers. But birthdays are great days to buy ’em. And because five of Nike’s finest shoes are celebrating huge anniversaries in 2018, it’s never been a better time to kit your toes out with a fresh pair. Here are five watertight excuses to treat your feet to a new Swoosh…

Instagram: @airmaxmarket

Nike Tailwind

Kicking things off with a trainer that may not be in your current rotation but is without a doubt the granddaddy of many a favourite in your precious line-up. Ahead of the 1978 Honolulu Marathon, and after listening to a wild idea from an aerospace engineer named Frank Rudy, Nike created and dropped a limited run of new Nike Tailwind runners – only for them to sell out immediately. The reason? They were home to a little ground-breaking technological feature called an air-sole unit which is, oh, y’know, only the most important innovation in Swoosh history. Yep, 40 years ago, Nike Air cushioning hit feet and the streets for the very first time, and the trainer game changed forever.

Instagram: @lidderth

Air Max 98

Take the hyper-popular and 'totally essential RN' Air Max 97, strip everything away apart from the air unit and completely redesign the upper, and you’ve got yourself the recipe for the Air Max 98: the under-appreciated but super-tasty runner that blows 20 candles out on its cake this year. And, boy, Nike have thrown it one heck of a party to celebrate – the brand's brought back the shoe in a major way with a slew of new colourway releases (like the highly sought-after ‘gundam’ and eye-catching ‘cone’ versions) and plenty more yet to come.

Instagram: @damiensneaker

Air Max Plus TN

A wavy mesh upper, a gradient colour scheme and four (four!) separate Air bubbles not only make these futuristic beauties a superior name in the Air Max dynasty, but a standout one, too. It’s two decades since designer Sean McDowell’s sketches (which, he says, were inspired by watching palm trees blowing in the Florida breeze) became a reality. And what a time to be alive if you’re a fan – Nike have gone bananas with the re-issues to mark the occasion, throwing new colours, new materials, new everything, really, at the silhouette this year.

Instagram: @us_gravy_seal

Jordan 3

A number of Nike's Air Jordan styles will divide a room, but the Jordan 3 is not one of them. Not only was it Nike design god Tinker Hatfield’s first shoe for Michael Jordan, not only was it the first to show the iconic Jumpman logo, and not only was it the first to use the ubiquitous elephant print, but it was also the first Jordan to use visible Air, too. Couple that with the fact it’s just so darn pretty, and it’s clear why, 30 years on, it’s still one of the most lusted-after basketball sneakers on the planet.

Instagram: @17gallery.my

Nike Air Yeezy

February 10 2008 was one of those ‘where were you when?’ moments for sneakerheads. There they were, settling down on the sofa, eyes stuck to the TV coverage of the Grammys when WHAM! Kanye West, on stage, doing the most and wearing a set of all-black, glow-in-the-dark trainers never before seen by the public eye. The rumours were true: Nike had teamed up with Ye to create their first-ever signature shoe for a non-athlete and birthed a monster that, a year later, would come to be known as the Air Yeezy.