The Air Max line of shoes practically defined Nike, and as a remembrance of that legacy, the brand continues on with innovating the air each year to bring something fresh to the table. Last year, we were presented with the Air Max 270, a pure lifestyle shoe that incorporates the Swoosh’s biggest air bubble to date, and coupled with attractive colour blocking and variations, was an instant hit among the mainstream market.
This year continues along the same vein, with increasing levels of innovation resulting in the creation of the biggest air bubble ever put onto a Nike shoe, the Air Max 720. Teased endlessly with pictures of the rear had people guessing its shape, and now, unveiled in its full glory, sits a futuristic looking silhouette that looks a bit as if the Air Max 97 was brought 15 years forward in time. Inspiration however, did not come from the 97, rather it mimics its wave-like patterns from the Air Max Plus. “If the retro part is what informs the upper, then the future part is this Air bag,” says Dylan Raasch, who co-designed the shoe with Jesi Small.
Featuring an airbag that is now 6mm taller than the Air Max 270, the 720 sits on a much wider base that provides buoyancy and repulsion while cradling the foot, translating to increased levels of comfort without sacrificing the bounciness. The 720 in the moniker references the horizontal and vertical visibility of the air unit.
Often, concepts like these were made to tackle not just the relatively niche sneaker market, but rather the mainstream as a whole. Hence why, during development, the goal was to create a shoe for the urban hustlers who needed long lasting shoe comfort as they’re on their feet for more than 10 hours a day. Feedback and control groups consisted of young kids who uttered the same word: drained. And in that retrospect, the Air Max 720 delivers on that front very well.
