Facts
| Top: | Low |
|---|---|
| Inspired from: | Running |
| Collection: | Nike Air Max |
| Closure: | Laces |
| Material: | Leather, Mesh, Rubber Sole, Air Max |
| Price: | €190 |
| Colorways: | Black, White, Grey, Multi, Orange, Gold |
| Special editions: | 3 special editions |
Rankings
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Nike Air Max Plus has a perfect fitting with a secured lockdown and lacing system. On-feet reviews of this shoe have shown that it runs true to size and has a comfy interior suitable for wearers with a narrow, medium, and wide feet configuration.
Boasting technology considered as top-notch in 1998, the Nike Air Max Plus originally came out in hyperspace design in Hyperblue colorway that got everyone hooked to its superior air cushioning technology. This silhouette has been carried on in the modern colorways that is ideal for men and women of the new millennium. Favorite modern colorways of the Nike Air Max Plus include ice blue, black, tiger, Bordeaux, and breathe colorways that blends beautifully with the ever-changing clothing tastes of the younger generation.
The premium materials composed of leather, rubber, and mesh all fused and injected together to form rib-like support together gives the shoe an image of being a serious player in the lifestyle sneaker category. Tune to today’s generation, the running creps has crossed over to different generations of sneaker fans seamlessly capturing audiences who have barely seen or worn the shoes from the late 1990s.
Nike Air Max Plus sneakers styling suggestions for men and women
For men
As a retro runner kick coming in several exciting colors, Nike Air Max Plus sneakers are stress-free to style now that running shoes have become trendy in the growing athleisure fashion.
The men’s Nike Air Max Plus is best paired with sporty joggers to relaxed fit shorts for its male patrons. Top those with sports shirts and relaxed-fitting tanks for a sporty get-up that makes you look ready for the gym or grab a few bottles of beer at the nearby bar. Colorways like the Nike Air Max Hyper Blue and Nike Air Max Plus All Black, are great sneaker color options for those looking for kicks to match almost all kinds of outfit they have in their closet.
For women
The women’s Nike Air Max Plus sneakers are best paired with skinny-fit jeans or leggings to get that sporty vibe and fashion. The cool colorways make it easy to style with gym clothes to everyday casual streetwear. It is the perfect shoe to choose when one wants versatility in their footwear that can be used from fitness activities to running errands like supermarket runs for the family or window shopping at the nearby mall.
The all red Nike Air Max Plus, for example, can be flashy enough to become the focal point of a woman’s outfit. The orange and burgundy Nike Air Max Plus, because of their vibrant tones, can be worn for a more feminine touch to one’s athletic outfit of the day.
Popular colorways and collaborations
When the Nike Air Max Plus was launched in 1998, the OG colorways of these iconic running shoes were instrumental to its initial retail success. Among the most popular colorways are the Nike Air Max Plus Hyperblue, Nike Air Max Plus, Grey Shark, and Nike Air Max Plus Orange Tiger that were all executed in beautiful color gradients.
The popularity of McDowell’s Air Max Plus design continued for several decades with many exceptional colors released to satiate the thirst of its most ardent followers for new colorways to match their fashion styles. The Nike Air Max Plus was also instrumental for the rise of other Air-cushioned shoes like the Nike Vapormax Plus among other recent shoe models.
In popular culture, the Nike Air Max Plus in black and Nike Air Max Plus in white tones are used because they are quite easy to pull off. Men’s Nike Air Max Plus in blue, green, and hyper blue are perfect for athletic guys. Women’s Nike Air Max Plus shoes in red, olive green, pink, maroon, and purple have grown to be quite a favorite among female sneakerheads. For both sexes, metallic tones give the much needed flashy vibes to the silhouette with the likes of the Nike Air Max Plus gold or silver bullet colorways.
For a retro sneaker, the most notable feature of the Nike Air Max Plus is its running shoe silhouette that rekindles sneaker fans’ love for this well-designed and executed shoe. With Air Max cushioning soles in the forefoot and heel, Nike Air Max Plus shoes can only assure sneakerheads of lasting comfort, fantastic fit, and better support. The plastic-like exoskeleton over the textile upper has also been very supportive in maintaining the dorm and ensuring extra protection for the feet.
While it can no longer serve as a formidable running shoe for this generation of runners, the Tuned Air cushioning system made famous by the Nike Air Max Plus shoes continues to provide a unique and unparalleled balance between support and cushioning.
When Nike released the Nike Air Max Plus in 1998, it instantly became a hit. With its hyper fused looks that seemed to have come from outer space, many sneaker fans became converts as this runner outshone the Air Max 97 runner that was released just a year before this shoe.
More popularly known then as the Nike TN or Tuned 1 for some older fans of the model, the Nike Air Max Plus with its original Hyperblue, Orange Tiger and Grey Shark colorways that soon followed were resurrected in the past years due to continued demand for these kicks.
In 1998, everything tech-inspired seemed to have taken a massive following as the world enters the new millennium. The timing for the release of the Nike TN or Air Max Plus was just right as the Air Max 95 already paved the way for its design with unique rubber striations or sort of exoskeleton on the sides and full-length air cushioning at the bottom. What further ignites interest in this shoe is the color gradient that seemed to fade out in the upper as if spray-painted that clicked with those who loved the play of color of the new Air Max.
Another reason for the continued interest in the Nike Air Max Plus is its premium pricing which according to some fans is on the expensive side. The seemingly above-average pricing makes the shoe a favorite among fans wanting premium kicks that do not easily depreciate.
Design inspirations
Conceptualized by veteran shoe designer Sean McDowell, the initial design for the Air Max Plus was bold as the original Nike Air cushioning system. The air cushioning unit was combined with a Tuned Air system where individual pods offer runners high impact protection.
The Nike Air Max Plus in men’s and women’s design also included a plastic toe cap upfront for extra toe protection. Meanwhile, an external skeleton rubber that enclosed a sprayed on brightly colored paint that fades out in the upper and flat tube lacing completed the look. All of this visual treat regarding contemporary footwear design was inspired by McDowell’s vacation in Florida that reimagines the sunset and the Palm trees that line the sky.
While on vacation in Florida, recalling one of his most creative moments, he sketched Floridian sunsets and wide-bent palm trees which became the design inspiration behind the iconic running shoe. He thought of the palm trees bending in the wind and thought that it could provide stability and included those lines reselling the palms in the design of the shoe’s quarter panel.
A few months later, McDowell, who was then on his first year working for the retail shoe giant back in 1997, was tasked to work with one of the brand’s biggest retailer Footlocker to come up with a shoe using Tuned Air, then a new air cushioning technology they call as “Sky Air.” He started sketching the design using different sunsets with palm trees that resulted in the recognizable gradient in the upper and thermoplastic vinyl exoskeleton of Nike Air Max Plus shoes.
Other signature beautiful detail of this sneaker is the shank that extends from the bottom of the sole to the midsole. Also unmistakably unique to the design is the longer and sleeker than the usual Swoosh logo that adds to the identity of the model.
Tuned Air System
The main highlight of the design, however, is the Tune air cushioning technology which gave the Nike Air Max Plus the alternate name Nike TN or Tuned one owing to the Tuned air cushioning system. Back in the day, the Nike air units were made of blow-molded material filled with gas.
But in the middle of the 1990s, Nike began a new membrane material in their air units which further made a better cushioning and boosts comfort in the midsole. The new cushioning system combined the already comfy Nike Air with a network of individually tuned pods that result in better high-performance impact protection, especially for runners.
- Individual Tuned pods paired with the full-length Max Air cushioning offers runners high-performance impact protection.
- A longer than usual Swoosh logo accent can be found on the lateral side of the low-top sneaker.
- Aside from the usual textile upper, the Nike Air Max Plus was also made in leather and synthetic materials in past iterations.
- Celebrities spotted wearing the Nike Air Max Plus included hip-hop artists Trinidad James, Cassanova, Victor Cruz, Drake, and Fabolous.