Nike is challenging 12 streetwear designers, called the RevolutionAirs, to come up with brand new designs to celebrate the Air Max month. The new designs will be inspired by the iconic Air Max shoe, and Nike expects the winning design to be available in stores this time next year.
The designers come from all around the world, including three Americans. Sean Wotherspoon, Kyle Ng, and Venus X debuted their interpretation of the Air Max at Nike’s New York Sneakeasy pop up shop this Thursday.
The American RevolutionAirs
Sean Wotherspoon is the co-owner of Round Two, a vintage store in Los Angeles. He interpreted the sneaker using his love for old Nike hats. His design has bold colors, and it is made with corduroy and velour. Kyle Ng’s design featured a color neutral palette with hand-painted dots, inspired by Nike’s Air Max 1 Ultra Flyknit.
Dj Venus X also owns a store, called Planet X. Venus X was the creator of GHE20G0TH1K in 2009, which some people consider being the best party in New York City. Her sneaker was more socially conscious orientated, and DEFCON and motocross apparel inspired the design. The sneaker is yellow and red, symbolizing the political state of the country.
“My shoe is indicative of where we are now or where we have been since 9/11, which is in the yellow zone, which is halfway in the middle of no danger and extreme nuclear war,” explained Venus X, according to Los AngelesTimes. “There’s more room for misinterpretation when you’re not subtle.”
Nike’s most signature shoe
The Air Max shoe was first released in 1987; Tinker Hatfield was the designer. He started working for Nike as an architect in charge of designing shops and ended up designing Nike’s most signature shoes: the Air Max and the Air Jordans.
Ever since its release, Nike has designed more than 60 models for Air Max, and they have been very popular worldwide. The initial TV campaign for the Air Max featured the famous Beatles song ‘Revolution,’ which was the first time that a Beatles song was used for TV advertisement. The next year, they advertised them under the slogan Just Do It, which has become Nike’s signature slogan ever since.
The other designers participating in the RevolutionAirs contest are London’s Alexandra Hackett, Moscow’s Artemy Lebedev, Istanbul’s Bunyamin Aydin, Amsterdam’s Clement Balvoine, Seoul’s Fabikr, Mexico City’s Lourdes Villagómez, Tokyo’s Naotaka Konno, Shanghai’s Shangguan Zhe and Beijing’s Tianzhuo Chen.
Fans will be able to vote on their favorite Air Max-inspired design on Nike’s website starting March 18. The winner will be announced on March 26, also known as Air Max Day.
Source: Los Angeles Times