This year’s annual Air Max Day taking place on March 26 has come and gone, but the Nike Air Max 90 is here to stay. 2020 marks 30 years since the debut of this iconic running shoe designed by Tinker Hatfield, and it’s time to take a look back at the best colorways released. This year brought us an Air Max 90 Reverse Duck Camo that is basically the Air Max 90 atmos Duck Hunter Camo with infrared accents and a variety of different colorways of the Air Max 90 from LA-based sneaker boutique UNDEFEATED. The offerings this time are admittedly weak compared to past years, so let me introduce the cream of the crop from the Swoosh.
1. Nike Air Max 90 Warhawk (2007)
Be ready to wage war and salute the troops with these military-inspired shoes. Released as part of the Armed Forces pack, the ferocious tiger shark print is based on the paint job for the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter planes that were piloted by the Flying Tigers, a volunteer group of American pilots who defended China from Japan before America’s entry into WWII.
2. Nike Air Max 90 Amsterdam Orange Homegrown State Magazine (2007)
Previously in 2006, legendary sneaker shop Patta released the Air Max 90 Patta Homegrown Grass, a green version with leafy panels that paid homage to Holland’s favorite recreational drug. The orange laces that came with this shoe are an obvious homage to the Netherlands national football team’s home kit colors. The local imprint then came up with more straight heat. State Magazine was a premier Dutch music publication that featured up-and-coming Dutch hip hop artists. To celebrate the release of the “Homegrown” CD compilation, Patta designed a sneaker for the ages. The premium leather, State Magazine tongue tag, leafy paneling, and gum bottom outsoles vividly demonstrate Amsterdam’s style.
3. Nike Air Max 90 DQM Bacon (2004)
DQM stands for Dave’s Quality Meats, a concept store before concept stores were in vogue. Dave is the name of the owner, Dave Ortiz, who worked at iconic skate label Zoo York before opening his butcher shop themed store. The tan, dark brown, pink, and red colors combine for a savory shoe that is ready for breakfast. Two years later came the Nike Air Max 95/360 Cooked Bacon and three years after came the Nike Air Max 90 Current Huarache DQM Bacon.
4. Nike Air Max 90 Dizzee Rascal Tongue N Cheek (2009)
U.K. grime rapper Dizzee Rascal teamed up with British artist Ben Drury to celebrate the release of his fourth LP, Tongue n’ Cheek. Details include Dizzee’s silhouette embossed on the heels, the Dirtee Stank Recordings logo visible through the translucent outsoles, translucent Swoosh, embroidered pink tongues, and stitching on the laces. Released exclusively at 1948 (now a NikeLab store), proceeds from this sale went to the charity Tower Hamlets Summer University (rebranded to Futureversity in 2010), which offers independent learning programs for young Brits.
5. Nike Air Max 90 Current KAWS Black Volt (2008)
KAWS is a household name by now with his collectibles and collaborations with everyone from Uniqlo to Christian Dior. More than a decade ago, the Jersey City native teamed up with Nike for an Air Max 90 pack from his now defunct OriginalFake label. The black four-way stretch textile upper, Nike Free sole unit, exposed volt yellow “XX” motif, and two-tone black and volt laces make this shoe a modern masterpiece. He also designed a crisp white pair in the traditional Air Max 90 silhouette. This shoe is just one of many from KAWS’s long history of designing footwear.
6. Nike Air Max 90 Eminem Charity Series (2006)
Multi-Grammy award-winning rapper Eminem came out with his debut album Infinite in 1996 and has been on a roll ever since, his most recent project being his 2020 surprise album, Music to be Murdered By. The same could be said for his sneaker collaborations with the Swoosh. In 2006, the Rap God unveiled this Air Max 90 (limited to 8 pairs!) along with other Air Max shoes during a four-week charity event to raise money for his Marshall Mathers Foundation and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ninemillion.org campaign. Slim Shady also signed each pair. The gray, blue, green, and white color blocking scheme combined with patent leather and suede materials and Eminem logo stitched on the heel still has fans going berserk today.
7. Nike Air Max Lunar90 SP Moon Landing (2014)
The lunar rock graphic, 3M reflective upper, speckled grey midsole, and star-spangled banner on the heels grabbed the attention of many people. This shoe commemorates the 45th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s historic Apollo 11 landing and subsequent walk on the moon in 1969. In a nice touch, the flag badges replicate the ones found on Armstrong’s space suit. Nike attempted to repeat the success of the space-themed shoe with the Air Max 90 Mars Landing release in 2019, but the Mars Landing just does not look that great and does not have the same cultural resonance, especially since a human being hasn’t landed on Mars… yet.
8. Nike Air Max 90 Off-White (2017)
Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t introduce Nike’s shining star, Virgil Abloh. Whether you like these or not is beside the question (I happen to like these a lot), but you cannot deny that this shoe, part of “The Ten” collaboration, finally brought Kanye West’s longtime assistant and creative director into the limelight. The white leather, blue midsole, red zip tie, stitched Swoosh, and signature Off-White quotation lettering combine for an exquisite shoe. The follow ups in 2019 did not fail to disappoint either: both the Black and Desert Ore colorways are standout shoes in many sneakerheads’ collections.
9. Nike Air Max 90 atmos Duck Camo Hunter (2013)
The venerable Tokyo-based Japanese retailer is best known for its Nike Air Max 1 collaborations, but seven years ago it managed to deliver another hit just in time for the 10th anniversary of their Air Max 1 Safari release. This shoe featured a bold Duck Camo patterned upper, snakeskin Swoosh, and black and infrared colors. Any shoe using the Infrared color scheme as its base probably could not flop. The Air Max 90 Black Tiger Camo dropped a few weeks later but did not make the same splash as these.
10. Nike Air Max 90 Hufquake (2007)
The Hufquake pack consisting of an Air Max 1, Air Force 1 Low, and Dunk Low that dropped in 2006 to great fanfare preceded this shoe, which meant good things were in store. The pack released on the 100th anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Keith Hufnagel, founder of HUF, came up with a design that is unique to San Francisco. The cracked pavement reminds viewers of the city’s frequent earthquakes while the Military Blue and Neutral Grey color tones are reminiscent of Tinker Hatfield’s Jordan 4 from 1989. Two years later, Nike brought back this design with the Nike Air Max 90 Current Hufquake but with slightly altered colors. 1
Honorable Mentions: Nike Air Max 90 Infrared (1990), Nike Staple Air Max 90 Premium Navigation (2004), Nike Air Max 90 Powerwall Lemonade (2005), Nike Air Max 90 Powerwall Blue Ribbon Sports (2005), Nike Air Max 90 Dave White Neon Pack (2005), Nike Air Max 90 Clerks Pack Bone (2006), Nike Air Max 90 King of the Mountain (2008), Nike Air Max 90 Dunkman PE (2011), Nike Air Max 90 Grey Scale Hyperstrike (2012), Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse Independence Day Red (2013), Nike Air Max 90 Reverse Infrared (2015), Nike Air Max 90 maharishi maha (2019) and Nike Air Max 90 Mixtape B-Side (2019)
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