Discover: Why the Nike Air Max 95 is Your Favourite Sneakerhead's Favourite Sneaker

Over the years, the Nike Air Max series has remained one of the most popular footwear lines to ever hit the market. This is largely due to the groundbreaking silhouettes the line birthed, with one of the greatest of all time being the Nike Air Max 95. Back in the early 1990s the footwear scene was dominated by basketball silhouettes. Michael Jordan was in his prime and running-focused sneakers seemed to quietly fade into the background. Being an athletics-driven brand, Nike wanted to change this, and thus the Air Max 95 was born.

The Swoosh enlisted the help of Sergio Lozano, a designer who formerly worked on the Nike ACG (All Conditions Gear) line and boasted a wealth of experience in the footwear field too. The aim of the game was to totally switch up the look of the Air Max series, offering a fresh perspective. Join us as we take a deep dive into the inspiration behind the legendary sneaker and share some lesser-known facts regarding the model.

When asked about the inspiration behind the AM95, Sergio Lozano has actually publicly thanked Tinker Hatfield for acting as his mentor throughout the process. He recalls that Tinker would often say to him “that’s a great design, but what’s your story?”. If you look back at most legendary sneaker silhouettes from the past 50 years, nearly all of them possess a deeper-meaning, simply look at the AM97 “Silver Bullet” (inspired by ‘90s mountain bikes and rain drops), or the Air Max Plus “Sunset” (inspired by sunset shadows Sean McDowell visualised while on holiday).

Lozano states that inspiration for the 95 came to him when looking across at the lakes next to Nike’s HQ on a rainy day - “I was looking across the lake out into the trees and I began picturing the process of rain eroding the earth and thought it would be interesting if the perfect product was unearthed by erosion.” Another huge reference point when he created the sneakers was human anatomy, with the uppers of the sneakers resembling muscles and flesh and the lace loops modelled on the ribcage.

The Air Max 95 truly is a sneaker that’s made to be worn, and so much so that they’re even designed to age gracefully. As the first Air Max silhouette to launch with a black midsole, the kicks were certainly head-turners when they first hit the market, although the reason behind the gradient-like uppers was to increase the lifespan of the sneakers by making them more dirt-resistant. The OG colourway (pictured) featured the now-iconic gradient grey colour scheme, accentuated with hits of volt-yellow that were inspired by vintage Nike racing gear. Initially, Lozano was told by senior Nike executives that the colourway would not sell, although it quickly cemented itself as a classic and has now been re-released over 10 times.

The original AM95 design continued to cause controversy amongst Nike head-honchos, as the first prototypes did not feature Swoosh logos anywhere across the design. Lozano claimed that the design itself was so aesthetically strong, it didn’t need to rely on branding to make it sell. While this was a strong statement and wasn’t necessarily incorrect, he was eventually overthrown on this decision with the shoe ending up featuring a small version of the Swoosh at the rear of the sneakers.

Upon launch the Air Max 95 OG “Neon” was incredibly well-received. It was the first ever sneaker to incorporate Air Max technology in the forefoot as well as the heels and introduced a brand-new look to the sneaker market. The silhouette was quickly adopted by tastemakers throughout the streetwear scene and was especially adored by youth culture. It was also remarkably expensive for a sneaker back in the day, retailing at $140 USD in America and £99 in the UK, giving the pair a certain status when worn. The kicks eventually rose to £110 in the UK and held this price tag for many years, with plenty of OG sneakerheads still referring to 95s as “110s”.

Interestingly enough, the sneaker wasn’t even referred to as the Air Max 95 until much later in it’s lifespan. 1995 boxes simply stated “AIR MAX”, a rather vague name for the newcomer on the scene. By 1997, the Swoosh changed the labels to read “AIR MAX SC”, which stood for Sports Classic, with the AIR MAX 95 name finally appearing in 1999 and remaining consistent up until the present day.

While incredibly popular, the AM95 wasn’t totally devoid of any problems. The model has caused its fair share of controversy over the years. It was the first Nike sneaker to be heavily faked due to its popularity, with bootleg pairs sold all over the world for dirt-cheap prices. During the late ‘90s fake pairs could be found at local markets for as low as £20 in the UK, and abroad for around the $10 USD mark. The kicks are also infamous for causing a small-scale riot in the UK after they were featured on the BBC TV show Watchdog. The show addressed the squeaky noise made by the Air cushioning in the 95s and how it was essentially a manufacturing defect. A group of enraged owners took back their AM95s to a Foot Locker branch in Leeds and demanded refunds, which shop staff refused to honour. After tensions heightened, a police officer was injured and eight arrests were made. The shopping centre eventually closed and no refunds were ever given.

If that wasn’t enough, the Air Max 95 has also been officially recognised by forensic reports as the number one footwear choice for criminals in the UK. Due to its hefty price point the sneaker has always attracted a certain demographic, and the numbers back this up, with the AM95 the number one footprint on police databases. Honourable mentions also go to the Reebok Classic and the Nike Air Max LTD, coming in at second and third respectively.

Despite these several negative connotations, the Air Max 95 still remains at heart, a sneakerhead’s sneaker. The silhouette has seen plenty of legendary colourways over the years and has acted as the blank-canvas for collaborations from the likes of atmos, Supreme and Comme des Garçons. You don’t have to look too far in any modern-day sneaker store to spot an AM95 on the shelves, and you’ll definitely see a fair few walking down any UK high street too. Here at The Sole Supplier we’ll always recognise the Air Max 95 as one of the greats, and any real sneakerhead will likely be aligned with our thoughts.

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