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Visibility had been the soul of the Nike Air Max series since its 1987 debut, but the Air Max BW was the shoe that took it to the maximum when it debuted in 1991. Few shoes have had the cultural impact that this model has had during the last 25 years.
Designed by legendary Nike visionary Tinker Hatfield who, at the time, had been responsible for every Air Max in the series with working titles of Air Max IV and Big Window, it offered a mix of both the unique and the familiar. The silhouette with more Nike-Air cushioning, more padding and more support pledged a superior ride. Despite being sold alongside the state-of-the-art Air 180 running shoe, the BW (with the two letters added to boxes later) found it audience immediately.
While technology was at the heart of the shoe, the colourway gave it extra identity. The original Air Max had redefined athletic shoe makeups in 1987 and the Air Max 90’s blast of infrared became iconic. For the Air Max BW, Persian violet was applied to both the men’s and women’s launch makeups the unorthodox use of colour resonated, taking on a life of its own. Traditionally, an early 1990s Nike running shoe would leave the shelves after a couple of seasons in favour of an upgrade, but the demand for the Air Max BW was so great that it barely left during its lifespan. Ravers in the Netherlands, plus Parisian b-boys and b-girls adopted this slimmer Air Max shape. In America, smooth crooning R&B groups matched up their outfits with this shade of purple on their feet.
In 2016, the BW’s anniversary is commemorated through the introduction of an ultralight sibling, the Air Max BW Ultra. Overseen by Nike Sportswear design director Dylan Raasch the designer responsible for the bestselling Roshe Run this new edition reduces the shoe’s weight with a cored out midsole, updates the moulded heel counter for extra comfort and brings seamless no-sew construction to the mesh upper. The familiar stealthy shape and rubberised swoosh is retained, but the scope for a new generation of striking colour combinations is heightened.
To set things off ahead of a rollout of brand-new palettes for this reimagined lifestyle runner, it’s only right that old meets new in the combination that set things off a quarter of a century ago.
