Last year, Nike brought back the legendary Air Max 97 on it's 20th anniversary, and with this revival came a bunch of ultra high heat collabs from the likes of Skepta and Virgil Abloh. To many, the Air Max 97 was the sneaker of 2017.
However, this year, we're seeing the return of another iconic silhouette - the Air Max 98. To commemorate this, we want to take a look at some of the best Air Max 98s to have dropped so far, and some greats that are due to drop, whilst comparing them to the best Air Max 97s that dropped last year. You guys will then get to decide which model you think comes out on top!
Virgil Abloh's take on the classic AM97 elevates the silhouette to a whole other level. Featuring as part of his coveted 'THE TEN' collection which dropped on November 20th, the Off-White x Nike Air Max 97 is pretty much as clean as it gets. If you can cop a pair of these without paying double the retail, you've pretty much hit the jackpot.
The Skepta x Nike Air Max 97 'Sk' by influential British Grime artist Skepta was heavily influenced by his trip to Essaouisa, Morocco. Throughout the upper, iridescent shades can be found in 'Alien Green' and 'Dark Burgundy' tones, giving this particular Air Max 97 an unbelievably unique aesthetic. If you're searching for a pair of genre redefining sneakers, then look no further.
Without a doubt the cleanest summer crep of 2017, the Swoosh pretty much killed it with the Nike Air Max 97 'Summer Scales'. With subtle cream tones and white scale detailing throughout, this was a colourway that concentrated immensely on details. The full length Air unit is also on display here, meaning comfort levels are off the charts.
Leading the way in a string of great OG colourways due to arrive over the coming months to celebrate it's 20th Anniversary, the Nike Air Max 98 'Gundam' draws inspiration from the Japanese anime Gundam, taking colours found on the armoured suits of the robots featured in the original 1979 TV series. Being an OG colourway, this was an extremely hard cop even though production numbers were high. We can't say we're even a bit surprised though.
Set to be the ultimate summer shoe of 2018, the Nike Air Max 98 'Triple White' is the colourway to watch out for. In direct competition with the 'Summer Scales' of 2017, the hype for these crispy clean creps is off the rails, with the release date getting pushed further back. If you're looking for a pair of sneakers to rock in the warmer months, these are a definite must cop.
And last but not least, the Supreme x Nike Air Max 98 'Snakeskin', which launched way back in 2016 in four distinct colourways, is a modern classic that definitely deserves a space on this list. Dressed in synthetic snakeskin with 3M hits throughout, the shoe is, without a doubt, one of the greatest AM98s to ever hit shelves.
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