3 Of Our All-Time Favourite Air Max Silhouettes

A look back at Nike's legendary sneakers.

A sacrosanct date on every sneakerhead’s calendar, Air Max Day is always loaded with exclusive collaborations and events, the Swoosh providing plenty of Air-sanctioned levity in a year where some have struggled to find their footing.

First gracing Nike’s footwear division in 1978, Air technology forever changed the face of the footwear industry. The Air Max 1 dropped jaws by stunting the first ever visible Air unit and, since then, the technology has become the economic and cultural lifeblood of Nike.

This is one bubble that’s never going to burst.

Join us as we take a look back at three of our all-time favourite Air Max silhouettes!

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Air Max 90
Does it get any more legendary than the Air Max 90?

A jewel in the crown of Nike’s long sneaker reign, the Air Max 90 (originally known as the Air Max 3) first hit shelves in 1990. A bold sequel to the generation-defining Air Max 1, the AM90 inflated an even bigger bubble, literally elevating the Air Max series to new heights, and ensuring long-term stability for the Swoosh flagship.

Dropping three years after the Air Max 1, the AM90 quickly entered sneaker lore with its OG ‘Infrared’ colourway (originally called ‘Hyvent Orange’), the legendary colour palette hitting stores alongside the ‘Spruce’ colourway.

And the heat still emanates from the AM90 ‘Infrared’, the recent 2020 retro burning plenty of holes in wallets all these years later.

A watershed moment for sneaker design and technology, Tinker Hatfield’s OG blueprints routinely see a resurgence in relevance thanks to high-profile collaborations with the likes of Off-White, Patta and atmos.

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Air Max 270
A modern masterpiece.

Arriving on the scene in 2018, the Air Max 270 featured the largest Air unit ever installed in the heel at the time, the big-bubble classic also becoming the first ever lifestyle Air Max silhouette.

Paying homage to an archival classic, the Air Max 270 takes cues from the cult-favourite Air Max 180, the exaggerated tongues and throwback logos flying off shelves ever since its debut – the Air Max 270 routinely tops the best-selling Air Max lists.

Sent into the stratosphere by the Travis Scott x Air Max 270 ‘Cactus Trails’ collaboration last year, the AM270 has quickly become one the most successful silhouettes in Air Max history.

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Air Max 2090
The Swoosh launched Air Max into the future with the Air Max 2090.

Paying homage to the royal Air Max 90 bloodline, the Air Max 2090 features the classic, old school cassette-style Air unit, while vintage mudguards and rubber heel logos provide both technical stability and archival aesthetics. Repeatedly emblazoned by bold colourways (the throwback ‘Infrared’ rendition is still our favourite), the AM2090 is arguably one of the comfiest Air Max silhouettes in the Nike canon.

Launching alongside the 30th anniversary of the Air Max 90, the 2090 is futureproof insurance for your footwear collection.

Celebrate Air Max Day 2021 by lacing all the latest Air Max heat at THE ICONIC.

Fast delivery – free over $50 – and free returns.

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