The year is 1987, and television sets all over the nation flash and sink to the premiere of 'Full House.' 'The Simpsons' make their first appearance on TV, and the Cold War is in full effect. An up-and-coming footwear brand by the name of 'Nike' was on the verge of collapsing to their competitors. How were they going to stand out from the bright pink and neon green colors that dominated fashion back then?
The answer is the Nike Air Max 1. The first Nike shoe to reveal the magic behind Nike's famous Air technology, designed by Tinker Hatfield.
Tinker Hatfield is one of the greatest, if not the best, and most successful sneaker designers in the world. But did you know that he never actually set out to be a footwear designer?
In fact, back in 1981, Tinker was originally hired by Nike as a corporate architect. His job was designing showrooms and offices for the rapidly growing company. It wouldn't be until several years later that Tinker Hatfield would be assigned the first shoe design project of his career, the Nike Air Max 1. But, before we get into that, I wanna tell you about the Nike Air Max 1's predecessor, the Nike Air Tailwind.
The Air Tailwind was the first shoe to use Nike's, now famous, Air technology. It came out long before the Air Max 1. A lot of people think that Air Max 1 was the fist shoe to feature Air, but it's not. It was, in fact, the Nike Air Tailwind. When it come out in 1978 it created a lot of buzz for Nike and sold like crazy.
After the Nike Air Tailwind come out, Nike's Air technology became the company's main focus. Always thinking ahead, Nike wanted to develop the technology to be lighter and more effective, innovation was their top priority, that's when Tinker Hatfield came in. During this time Nike was trying to increase the size of the airbag units in their shoes to provide more cushioning.
The problem was, all the polyurethane used in the sole wouldn't allow it. The polyurethane is what covers Air units from being exposed, especially near the heel. From 1986 of a young Tinker Hatfield, with his coworkers, discussing this very, exact issue. "We have finally designed a bag that puts a largest amount of air into the shoes for cushioning, but we've also widened the bag, so that we're not sacrificing stability at all."
The idea of turning a design inside out intrigued Hatfield, and that's where the suggestion to expose the airbag in the Air Max 1 came from. Tinker was met with great opposition from Nike about his desire to expose the Air unit, and the design nearly cost him his job. Upon its release the Air Max 1 featured a mesh and suede upper that made the shoe super lightweight and durable at the same time. Of course the main feature of the shoe was its unforgettable Air window.
Nike was worried about people being hesitant to purchase the shoe because they were afraid that customers would think the AirBubble would pop easily. But that just wasn't the case, the airbag was bigger and more robust than ever. The shoe was a massive success.
The release of the Nike Air Max 1, in 1987 was a huge milestone for Nike, not only in regards to the success of the shoe, but more importantly to the overall image and design direction for the brand moving forward. The varsity blue and red was an odd choice during the late '80s. Another interesting thing about the history of the Air Max 1 is that Tinker Hatfield's initial proposal for the design was actually what we know today as the Air Max 0.
