The 20 Greatest Nike Air Max Sneaker Colorways of All Time
Collage: Gabe Conte
In many ways, the Air Max is the most important and influential sneaker line in Nike’s legendary portfolio. When the Tinker Hatfield-designed Air Max 1 launched in the spring of 1987, it featured the first-ever exposed Air unit on the sole—a state-of-the-art design element that revolutionized sneaker aesthetics forever and set the stage for decades of legendary kicks. From the swoopy, streamlined Air Max 97 to the chunky, futuristic Air Max 270, the series has earned a reputation for delivering game-changing silhouettes.
Every year on March 26, Nike honors that legacy with Aix Max Day, dropping a mix of new models and special-edition retros engineered to get sneakerheads everywhere salivating. To mark this year's edition, we're diving deep on the 20 greatest Air Max colorways to ever hit the pavement, from one-off collaborations to beloved OG makeups and everything in between.
20. Nike x Dizzee Rascal Air Max 90 ‘Tongue n Cheek’
Grime legend Dizzee Rascal joined forces with designer Ben Drury to come up with the ‘Tongue n’ Cheek’ Air Max 90. Taking its name from Rascal's acclaimed 2009 album, it's a gorgeous riff on the iconic silhouette in pale pink and guava—and a fine example of the kind of big-time collaborations that have made the Air Max so much more than just another Nike running line.
19. Nike Air Max 1 ‘Tokyo Maze’
In 2019, Nike celebrated Air Max Day with a design contest that invited artists from around the world to imagine new designs inspired by their home cities. One of the six winners was Japanese designer Yuta Takuman's ‘Tokyo Maze,’ a one-of-a-kind, monochromatic take on the Air Max 1 that pays tribute to Tokyo's labyrinthine streets and complex subway system.
18. Nike Air Max 93 ‘Menthol’
The Air Max 93 ‘Menthol’ has been a regular fixture of Air Max Day celebrations over the years, with the original colorway frequently returning as an ultra-anticipated retro re-release. But that hasn’t put a dent in the shoe’s demand among sneakerheads, who seem to unanimously agree that this is about the best the underrated Air Max 93 has ever looked. Clean and understated, it’s earned its spot among the greats.
17. Nike Air Max 98 ‘Gundam’
To the untrained eye, this OG Air Max 98 colorway is simply a clean white sneaker with a few splashes of primary colors. But true otakus know that this particular combination of red, white, and blue makes it a dead ringer for the RX-78-2 from the classic series Mobile Suit Gundam, a similarity that’s bequeathed this shoe with its common sobriquet. The mecha aesthetic is extremely cool—and an unbeatable deep cut for anime fans everywhere.
16. Nike Air Max 97 ‘South Beach Alternate’
Much like the famed LeBron 8 of the same name, the ‘South Beach’ Air Max 97 is one of the most popular colorways ever, adored for its irresistible, Miami Vice-esque pastel hues. But with all due respect to the original, the color-flipped ‘South Beach Alternate’ improves upon the design in every respect, transforming a subtle sneaker into a lurid, gloriously over-the-top showpiece. Mojito sadly not included.
15. Nike x Off-White Air Max 97 ‘Elemental Rose’
Released as part of Virgil Abloh’s Nike collaboration with Serena Williams—the acclaimed ‘Queen’ collection—the Air Max 97 ‘Elemental Rose’ was made to celebrate the 50th edition of the U.S. Open. It was a fitting tribute to the GOAT and one of the few Abloh sneakers with a distinctly feminine aesthetic: the dusk pink upper and springy fuchsia Air cushion were a great match for Abloh’s art-collage style.
14. Nike Air Max Lunar 90 ‘Moon Landing’
Designed to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, Nike’s ‘Moon Landing’ Air Max features just about the most overt visual reference to its inspiration imaginable: an all-over lunar surface print and an American flag decal on the heel.
13. Nike x Travis Scott Air Max 270 ‘Cactus Trails’
Travis Scott’s wildly popular collaborations with Nike and Jordan Brand tend to feature subtle aesthetic choices, but the Houston rapper’s take on the Air Max 270 strikingly transforms the original silhouette with a bouncy, futuristic, highly textured design. And like just about every sneaker Scott touches, the ‘Cactus Trails’ sold out instantly and now commands enormous figures on the resale market.
12. Nike Air Max 90 ‘Warhawk’
The best sneaker designs often flirt with the ludicrous, and the Air Max 90 ‘Warhawk,’ with its unmistakable World War II bomber aesthetic, is one of the better examples of how transcendent the ridiculous can be when pulled off right. Want a shoe that looks like a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk? Nike has you covered to jaw-dropping effect.
11. Nike x Parra x Patta Air Max 1 “Cherrywood”
Since first linking with Nike in the mid-2000s, the Dutch artist Parra has been responsible for some of the most cult-loved Swoosh colorways ever—none more so than this rich suede-and-chenille spin on the Air Max 1, released in celebration of the beloved Amsterdam sneaker boutique Patta's fifth anniversary. Only 248 pairs were released, making it one of the rarest and most wildly desired Air Maxes on the market.
10. Nike x Stash Air Max 95
Graffiti legend Stash was one of Nike’s first and most important non-athlete collaborators, paving the way for colleagues like Futura to get involved with the Swoosh soon after. This smooth suede Air Max 95, featuring his signature blue palette cascading down the side, was deemed an instant classic upon its release in 2006. It remains Stash's own favorite sneaker, he told GQ in 2022, “because look how fucking crack it came out. One of the best shoes ever made to this day. You don't have to touch it. That's one of those ‘If it ain't broke, don't fix it’ models.”
9. Nike x Off-White Air Max 90 ‘Ice’
Virgil Abloh’s debut collaboration with Nike, dubbed ‘The Ten,’ has come to be regarded as less of a footwear release and more of a full-blown work of art. Abloh’s reimagining of the Air Max 90, the first of several popular Off-White Air Max releases, combined familiar elements of the original silhouette with the designer's signature deconstructionist flair.
8. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Tiger’
The distinctive Air Max Plus became an immediate hit in 1998 on the back of two superb colorways: the soothing ‘Hyper Blue’ (which barely missed making this list) and the scorching ‘Tiger.’ The latter—featuring a vivid red-to-yellow gradient that matches the hazy sunset Air bubble cushioning underfoot—is rumored to be making a much-hyped return later this year.
7. Nike Air Max 1 ‘University Red’
The one that started it all. Although the Air Max line has released an endless number of styles since its debut in 1987, it has rarely improved upon the very first version: the simple white, gray, and red colorway is a classic for a reason, now instantly recognizable as the sneaker that kicked off a footwear revolution.
6. Nike x Sean Wotherspoon Air Max 1/97
The winner of a fan-voted design competition held on Air Max Day 2017, this cheery, corduroy-covered sneaker imaginatively combined two iconic silhouettes—the Air Max 97's uppers with the Air Max 1's sole—and instantly turned its designer, Sean Wotherspoon, into a sneaker-world star. Six years on from its initial drop, the Wotherspoon 1/97 remains one of the most coveted kicks on the planet.
5. Nike x Atmos Air Max 1 ‘Elephant’
First released in 2007 as part of an ongoing collaboration between Nike and beloved Japanese retailer Atmos, this elephant-print-happy Air Max 1 was conceived as an homage to the original Air Jordan 3. A decade later, on Air Max Day 2016, fans showed their affection for the legendary colorway by crowning it the champion of Nike’s Vote Back contest, which saw it return for a massively hyped 2017 drop.
4. Nike x DQM Air Max 90 ‘Bacon’
One of the tastiest versions of the Air Max 90 ever, the cheeky ‘Bacon’ colorway was the brainchild of the hallowed New York skate shop Dave's Quality Meats. After years of resale prices steadily skyrocketing, Nike reissued the pork-inspired red, brown, and pink sneaker in 2021 to enormous fanfare, cementing its legacy as one as one of the definitive Air Max colorways.
3. Nike Air Max 97 ‘Silver Bullet’
The innovative full-length Air unit made the Air Max 97 an instant classic upon its debut. But what truly cemented the silhouette's legacy was its launch colorway: the all-gray ‘Silver Bullet’ edition, inspired by Japanese bullet trains, was an ideal introduction to the sci-fi performance model, whose wavy, streamlined uppers changed the game for running shoes all over again.
2. Nike x Atmos Air Max 1 ‘Safari’
Another legendary linkup between Nike and Atmos, the Air Max 1 ‘Safari’ launched in 2002 in honor of the Air Max’s 15th anniversary. The colorway pays tribute to another now-classic Tinker Hatfield silhouette, the Nike Air Safari, which also launched in 1987 but was instantly overshadowed by the Air Max’s stratospheric success. The tribute was the perfect way to connect the two legacies, reimagining one of the all-time great colorways for a wider audience.
1. Nike Air Max 90 ‘Infrared’
Whether you want to call it the Air Max 90 or the Air Max 3, Tinker Hatfield’s third iteration of the Air Max, released in 1990, is one of the designer’s masterpieces, redefining the scope of the popular running sneaker for a new decade and new generation. Its original colorway, the pink-hued ‘Infrared,’ justly remains one of the most iconic and enduring Air Maxes ever, highlighting the model's boundary-pushing futurism with effortless simplicity.
Originally Appeared on GQ
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