March 26 every year marks the Nike Air Max Independence Day which started back in 2014 intended as a celebratory day. Nike decided to pay homage to the start of its revolutionary journey which birthed the original Air Max 1 back in March 26, 1987.
As you can see below on March 26th, 2014 Nike released a red and white colourway air max 1 with the numbers 3.26 printed on the tongue.
2014: Nike releases numbers 3.26 printed on the tongue
At the time of it’s initial release, the air max 1 sparked interest and appeal as it was the first sneaker of its kind to have a visible air bubble on a sneaker. 32 years later and the sneaker has become a mandatory item for sneaker heads.
Who do we have to thank for this innovative creative sneaker which is loved today just as much as it was loved back in 1987?
Tinker Hatfield!
Tinker joined Nike in 1981 to design sneakers and took inspiration from his architectural background and applied it to the air max. Tinker designed the Air Max 1 after taking inspiration from the Centre Georges Pompidou building in Paris.
The cultural influence and dominance of the air max one can be seen all throughout street wear, street culture and music culture in particular hip hop.
AIR MAX 1, The start of the community movement
An important thing to remember with regards to the actual day is that it has become much more of a consumer lead event and celebratory day which sees the community come together online and offline while not having much direction from the brand itself. Though the initial idea to celebrate the day came from Nike, this without a doubt has been allowed to be controlled by the consumer to share their story on their interaction with the brand, show different air max colourways on social media and attend fan events.
The Nike air max independence day not only shreds light on the original air max 1 but also celebrates other air sneakers from the Air Max 90, Air Max 95, Air Max 93, Air Max 97, Air Max 360 and most recently the Air Max 720 which is getting a lot of mainstream attention and a massive marketing push.
Tinker Hatfield believes shoes are not just an addition to an outfit but more so a part of who we are, with the quote ”We don’t treat shoes as apparel items only, but as part of the fabric of our time.”
So to wrap up, Nike air max Independence Day is the celebration of great innovative design, culture & community.
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