Nike Air Max 96

From its birthplace in Oregon, the world-famous and iconic number one Nike brand has been innovating in the equipment of athletes, both professional and beginner.

From its birthplace in Oregon, the world-famous and iconic number one Nike brand has been innovating in the equipment of athletes, both professional and beginner.

Inspiring and inspiring, the renowned brand has been helping every athlete to exceed their limits for no less than 50 years.
Trainers, clothing, accessories for running, fitness, tennis, basketball, football, skateboarding and so on, as specific and technical as trendy, are offered. Not forgetting the many brand representatives who show the way, such as the famous Lebron James, Ada Hegerberg, Venus Williams, Lacey Baker and the very involved Colin Kaepernick. Never forget the mythical slogan: "Just do it!".

But it's important to know that it was Sergio Lozano, the famous Spanish designer, who literally turned the sportswear world upside down a year before launching his iconic Air Max 96 model, which still represents one of the most beautiful and coveted designs in the Air Max collection.
In 1996, the Hispanic footballer repeated the experience by creating the innovative Air Max 96, also known as the Air Max Total by aficionados of the time.  

The year 96 was a pivotal year for Nike, which was rewarded for the huge success of its Jordan XI thanks to the prowess of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls team and the gold medal won at the Olympics by Andre Agassin wearing Air Zoom Turf as well as the performance of Ken Griffey with Air Griffey Max on his feet!

That year was a memorable one for the Swoosh brand! Following the successful launch of the Air Max 95, the famous US brand developed an innovative iteration, the Air Max 96, which unfortunately was not as successful as expected by the population who were already overwhelmed by the vast choice offered by the brand at the time.

It is true that to guarantee and perpetuate the prowess of its new design, Nike did not skimp on a huge advertising campaign. The Air Max 96 will be represented and worn by the most famous athletes in the world such as Michael Johnson, Lisa Leslie or Scottie Pippen, to name but a few. Obviously, Nike chose to promote its creation, athletes who have excelled during the previous Olympic Games and who have a worldwide popularity. Good luck for the Swoosh!

Despite its more than expensive price tag for the time ($140), the Nike Air Max 96 brought together a plethora of innovative ideas. Indeed, the brand had developed specially for it, an upper composed of synthetic leather and mesh, but also a revolutionary process of support which allowed to stabilize the foot in an optimal way, by conferring him an unequalled comfort. To complete the Nike trainer, a new dual-pressure air unit was added, and as if that wasn't enough, various cushioning pads were added to the sides of the sneaker to provide excellent cushioning at impact. Another air unit was incorporated but this time in the front of the sneaker for even more comfort, an air unit that was already fitted to the Air Max 95.

However, although the atypical design of the Air Max 96 was more attractive and had a certain originality, the colours proposed were not really convincing. Indeed, the Nike Air Max 96 was offered in shades of white/navy/green for the men's version and royal blue/white/varsity for the women's version, these colours were considered too bland and sober, perhaps not flashy enough for the time.

As a result, the Air Max trainer did not stay on the shelves for long and was quickly replaced by more popular designs. It was only twenty years later, in 2016, that the Air Max reappeared in shops. Nike will then take the counterpole, to develop essential transformations, by integrating in particular the outsole of the Air Max 95 Ultra, much lighter. But, once again disappointment from fans who expected an OG model.

It's really the baptism of the Nike Air Max 96 II, which draws heavily on the sporty design that the brand's most renowned designer, Sergio Lorenzo, created in the 90s. Indeed, the Air Max 96 II is seen on many feet these days.

Wrapped in vintage materials and colours that hark back to the classic sports trainer design of the 1990s, the Air Max 96 II provides all the various comfort benefits of the other iterations of the Air Max collection, while offering the original 1990s sports look that all sneakerheads and die-hard vintage aficionados remember.

Air Max 96 sneakers are basically designed for endurance and performance sports. The trainers come in a variety of styles that hark back to the time of their first launch. The Nike Air Max 96 features an elaborate textile and leather upper with cleverly placed overlays and embroidery for style and durability.

These pairs feature cushioning in the neck area, giving them a refined yet athletic look and feel.

The Nike Air Max 96 also feature Nike Air cushioning, which is incorporated under the heel and toe for added comfort. Among other things, these sneakers are wrapped in attractive, shimmering colour shades and proudly display a retro-style logo on the tongue for an even more vintage look.

If you're a fan of the Swoosh brand and you're also an absolute fan of the designs of yesteryear, you'll no doubt be seduced by the wide choice of colours and materials that the Air Max 96 sneakers come in!