The Summer Ready Nike Air Max 95 "Bright Mandarin" is Dropping This Week

Nike continues to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Air Max 95 with the release of more Big Bubble iterations. Following on from the classic “Neon” Air Max 95 retro and "Pink Foams" in April, additional colourways featuring OG inspired details are set to drop in the coming months. Among them is the fan favourite “Bright Mandarin” colourway, receiving the same Big Bubble treatment.

After being teased since December 2024, it looks like the release date may be sooner than expected.

Originally debuting in 2011, the AM95 “Mandarin” was a fresh take on the iconic gradient design of the OG Air Max 95. It swapped the signature neon green accents for vibrant orange hits on the eyelets, tongue, mini Swoosh, and Air units. The shade, officially called “Bright Mandarin,” was a lighter, citrus-like twist on the earlier 2009 “Team Orange” version. Initially previewed with black mesh, the final release returned to a white mesh upper, preserving the clean OG aesthetic. Over the years, this colorway gained a cult following as one of the most beloved non-OG Air Max 95s, cementing its place in sneaker history.

Even legendary skateboarder Eric Koston has a soft spot for the "Mandarins", talking about his memories around the Air Max 95 in a The Berrics video from 2015, waving around a pair of 2011 "Bright Mandarin" as he detailed how the silhouette inspired his own Nike models. The general consensus was that the "Crystal Blue" edition had a bigger impact in the US than the orange-themed 110, which has become a grail for collectors here in the UK. When we sat down with Air Max collector @nitrousoxide in 2024, it was clear the UK Air Max 95 collectors had these orange AM95 as one of its top requested retros.

After a few rumoured dates, it looks like the Air Max 95 "Bright Mandarin" is finally set to return this week for the first time ever. The official release date is June 6th, but raffles are already open so act now to secure your pair!

This retro is set to be extremely limited so your best chance to cop is to try in every raffle at every retailer you can. Before the official release date you can enter a raffle for your chance to get your hands on a pair.

Raffles:

Alongside these raffles, the AM95 "Mandarin" will also be released on the Nike SNKRS app, most likely through a LEO release. You'll need to be on SNKRS for 8am ready to enter for your chance to win.

Your final chance to cop will be through a first-come-first-serve release. It looks like OFFSPRING are set to offer this style of release online but there will also be a few physical releases at JD Stores up and down the UK. With such low stock numbers though we'd recommend heading down as early as possible and maybe even camping out for your best chance.

Store List: