When his rundown sneakers would get holes in them, his mom would patch them up and send him on his way. Made for football star Cristiano Ronaldo, the Golden Patchwork 97s were inspired by Ronaldo’s youth, back when he could only afford two pairs of shoes, one for play and one for school. Cristiano Ronaldo Nike Air Max 97 Golden Patchwork, 2017 StockX That stamp, it should be noted, is the worst part of the shoe. On the inner side of the sneaker, the words “Off White for NIKE “Air Max 97” Beaverton, Oregon USA” are stamped, part of Abloh’s deconstructionist aesthetic. If you’re a 97 stan, you either love what Abloh did with the shape or you hate it - there’s really no in-betweens here. Despite very minimal alternations to the original design, Abloh still managed to deliver a sneaker that looks markedly different from its source material. Released as part of the second drop from Virgil Abloh’s “The Ten,” this Off-White iteration of the 97 features a white, cone, and ice blue colorway with a translucent outsole and an oversized Swoosh. Off-White Nike Air Max 97 “The Ten,” 2017 StockX The 97’s trademark waves are less prominent in this design and come via a transparent overlay that seamlessly stretches into the sneaker’s mudguard. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, the sneaker doesn’t look outdated by any means, instead the jacquard upper with its pixelated camo design manages to look like another sneaker entirely. One of Nike’s most fun designs, the Air Max 97 Jacquard Rio de Janeiro is the only Air Max 97 that doesn’t strike us as looking futuristic.
Nike Air Max 97 Jacquard Rio de Janeiro, 2014 StockX It’s no wonder the 97 has long been popular with the best-dressed streetwear stylists of Japan. Had Nike released colorways like this of the 97 stateside, it might not have taken 20 years for the silhouette to really get the love it deserves. This iteration of the 97 features a mesh upper with leather overlays and an elephant print mudguard with a green-tinted Air Max unit. Nike Air Max 97 Kashima Antlers, 2006 Flight ClubĪn early classic, 2006’s Kashima Antlers were released as part of Nike’s Sportswear pack in tribute to the Japanese football club, the Kashima Antlers. In celebration of one of Nike’s greatest silhouettes, we’re running through the greatest colorways of all time for the Air Max 97. The sneaker looked next level in 1997 and even now, in 2021, it still manages to look like the footwear of the future.
But Tresser knocked it out of the park with a wavy futuristic design inspired by mountain landscapes - managing to evoke the sleek speed and look of a Japanese bullet train. Designing the Air Max 97 was no easy task, Tresser would be following up Tinker Hatfield’s revolutionary Air Max 95, which is still one of Nike’s most beloved silhouettes. Even Nike’s discontinued silhouettes remain hype-worthy, and that’s all thanks to Nike consistently calling on the talents of some of footwear’s most innovative designers.įor the Nike Air Max 97, that designer was Christian Tresser, who had the revolutionary Reebok Aztrek under his belt and would eventually go on to work with Kanye West on the Yeezy 700 VX. Because Nike has an astounding track record when it comes to designing sneakers that look and feel timeless. How does a shoe from 1997 manage to stay looking futuristic almost 25 years later?
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