Why the Nike Air Trainer 1 Is a Forgotten Classic

As one of the most influential sneaker designers of all time, Tinker Hatfield is widely regarded as the best in the business. However, back in the late ‘80s before his big break, his designs were often dismissed by his co-workers as being a waste of time, or too “out-there” compared to other sneakers at the time. In 1987 he set to work designing the first-ever multi-purpose training sneaker, as rumour has it he was fed up of hauling around multiple pairs of trainers for his gym sessions that involved racket sports, athletics and also basketball.

Dubbed a “stupid project” by several Nike employees at the time, Hatfeld began designing what would become the Nike Air Trainer 1. While he knew that Nike could make superior basketball shoes, or superior running shoes, what he planned to create was a sneaker that was the perfect all-rounder, rather than one that excelled in a single field. "We can always design a better basketball shoe or a better running shoe, but this is going to sit in the middle where it's good enough for most people."

Pushing forward with his project despite disapproval from his colleagues, Tinker sought the backing of Mark Parker, Head of Research and Development at Nike at the time (Parker later became Nike CEO). After months of prototypes and design tweaks, the Nike Air Trainer 1 Hi finally launched in the OG “Chlorophyll Green” colourway. The sneaker offered medium heel lift, a forefoot strap for security and was crafted from a mix of leather and nubuck. This OG colourway is still regarded as a classic today, and it’s also worth noting that the sneaker was launched alongside the Air Max 1, another pivotal silhouette in Nike history.

The Air Trainer 1 quickly became a success and was adopted by a number of high-profile athletes. Tinker Hatfield was eventually accredited with birthing not just a brand-new sneaker, but also a whole category of sneakers - cross trainers. These multi-purpose kicks dominated the market throughout the early ‘90s, and even continue to prove popular today.

While the Air Trainer 1 enjoyed a short period of popularity, this success didn’t last much longer than a few years. By the mid-nineties the Air Max hype was in full swing, with the Air Trainer long-since forgotten. While the silhouette did have a brief recurrence in the early 2000s, for the most part we’ve seen very few colourways launch. With that being said, the model does hold a special place in the heart of many sneakerheads, perhaps due to the fact that they remember just how influential the sneaker was in the first place.

In recent years we’ve seen an increasing number of Air Trainer 1s hit the market, so if you’re looking to add a vital piece of sneaker history into your ever-growing footwear collection, then the good news is that there’s some suitably epic colourways floating around as we speak. Make sure to keep it locked in right here at The Sole Supplier, and while you are with us check out the rest of our site and take a look at why the Air Max 90 remains so iconic even 30 years later!