Now I’m going to say some things that might be controversial so brace yourselves and don’t shoot the messenger. Now it’s been said that next to the Air Jordan line, the Air max line is the most significant piece of sneaker culture that there is, end of!
I know! I know! Calm down! Calm down! It’s a bold statement and very matter of fact.
Straight away I’m drawn to adidas’s history, the pioneers if you think about it, the first to set sail. But others had entered the seas.
1892 – Keds – First sneakers ever produced.
By 1917 sneakers began to be mass produced and actually got the nickname sneakers because they were so quiet. (Kinda creepy if you think about the times, Jokes!)
1923 – Converse entered the seas and Chuck Taylor’s became the best selling basketball shoe and sneakers were here to stay.
1924 – Adi Dassler (Boss name by the way) created a sneaker named after himself adidas and the brand became the most popular athletic shoe in the world. Little side note: his brother Rudi (their parents were big pimpin when it came to naming their children – Adi & Rudi Dassler, come on!)
So anyway Rudi starts his own brand Puma, you might have heard of them.
But adidas was the brand that took it to another level early days and that has to be recognised.
But we’re here today to talk about the Swoosh! That little engine that could, that little upstart that went on to change the sneaker world, and by changing the game pumped life into all the brands they were up against, and it all started with Air Max. With science they aimed to revolutionise our sneaker experience in a way never done before.
“Nike Air technology consists of pressurised air inside a tough yet flexible bag and provides more flexibility and spring without compromising structure. The Air-Sole units maintain their given form with elasticity, lower impact and keep the shoe snug and lightweight.” – Nike
1978 – Nike Air Tailwind were the first sneakers to use Air cushioning technology, introduced by former NASA engineer Frank Rudy, or as he’s known around JMJ headquarters ‘Rude Bwoy Frank’. ‘One giant step for Nike’
1987 – OK now it gets emotional! It’s Thursday 26th March 1987, I want to say it was a summer’s day, and I’m sure it was somewhere but in London it was freezing as I remember it. (Plus I googled it)
Introducing ‘The Architect’ Tinker Hatfield, let the games begin! Brought In at a make or break time for Nike, and it’s fair to say he saved Nike with what he delivered.
Air Max 1s, one of the greatest shoes ever! It all starts here, the vibe, the respect, the mystique all starts with the Air Max 1s, which by the way still holds its own with all newcomers to the throne.
I’m sure most of you know but if you don’t, i’m an Air Max 1 bubblehead from nineteen longtime, well nineteen eighty seven to be exact, and although more recent projects have drafted me to other leagues in the sneaker world, Air Max 1s were the first sneakers that let me see into their sole and thereby, somehow affected mine.
