5 Things You May Not Know About The Nike Air Max 97

When it comes to unparalleled levels of hype and longevity, no sneaker quite compares to the Nike Air Max 97. With it's waved upper and plethora of amazing colourways, it is easy to see why the sneaker community adores this shoe.

Given it's popularity, we thought it would be a good idea to delve into the sneaker lineage and give you 5 facts that you may not of already known about this amazing crep.

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When you think of Nike designers, Tinker Hatfield instantly springs to mind. The creator of the Air Max 1 and the early Jordan silhouettes among others, Tinker is a living legend in the sneaker game. Yet one of Nike's most popular shoes of all time, the AM97 was actually designed by Christian Tresser. Alongside this he created many of the football boots we wear today and the streetwear staple, the Nike Air Zoom Spiridon.

Many people think of Japan's Bullet Train when they think of the AM97 but the upper isn't upper isn't based on this high-speed locomotive. In fact, the waved upper is based on a water ripple/wave. There is a good pub quiz fact for you right there.

What set the AM97 apart from it's predecessors was the use of a full-length Air Unit. Nike liked this unit so much that is would be used on later silhouettes, the Air Max 98 and Air Max Deluxe.

This sneaker is so widely adored in Italy they have dubbed it 'La Silver'. On top of getting it's own nickname, Nike even created Made in Italy pairs to commemorate the country's special relationship with this silhouette.

This may not seem like a lot now a days but when the Nike Air Max 97 first launched it was full of innovative features. 2 that stand out in particular are the hidden lacing system and the first use of a 360 degree 3M panel.