In light of the 2nd annual Air Max day celebrating it's 28th anniversary, Nike dug deep into its vault and brought us the Nike Air Max Zero.
These shoes were the handiwork of reputable designer Tinker Hatfield back in 1987 when he was conceptualising a model for the first pair of Air Max, and they never made the cut.
Why? Hatfield described the design to have incorporated too many ideas ahead of its time. It wasn't simply that it appeared futuristic, but its components were so advanced it would have been illogical to execute.
Fast forward 28 years later, Nike proclaimed the world ready for the Air Max Zero. Tweaked to better fit the times it is in and still stay loyal to its original intent, the shoes bear technology that does Hatfield's name justice. Super light and breathable courtesy of the innovative Air Max 1 Ultra outsole, it also features modern 3M accents around the body with a built in tongue.
Finished off by paying homage to its creator, the Nike Air Max Zero has Tinker Hatfield's signature inscripted on its left in-sole and with that, the one before the 1 took flight.
Words by Katherine Lim
Photos by Razlan Yusof