A nostalgic head turner! – Air Max 90 Pink Sole

For our latest concept, we have taken an unusual approach to a classic model, the Air Max 90, remixing its silhouette whilst staying true to the style that saw its rise. Check out the finished concept above and read more about our thought process below. 

Our shoe comes in a white mesh and leather upper, using the mesh for the toe area and around the ankle to offer some ventilation, and the leather acts as a mudguard and to add some structure and stability around the midfoot. Black details are then present around the bottom of the tongue, on the TPU accents, and on the Nike Swoosh on both the lateral and medial sides of the shoe. Bright pink is present on the Nike Branding on the tongue, and on the Air Max branding near the ankle. The upper is then paired with a stunning sole covered entirely with the same bright pink color. 

What is particularly stunning about our concept is that we chose to keep our upper relatively simple, concentrating almost all the color on the shoe to the sole. In doing so, the traditional color blocking for a sneaker is reversed, since the sole is often kept in much simpler colors and is paired with a colorful upper. But of all sneakers, the Air Max 90 is famous for its bold accent on its sole, on the TPU piece around the air bubble. So, we decided to take that detail and extend it to cover the rest of the sole. 

Moreover, we chose to use bright pink because of how synonymous the color is with the ’90s era and its fashion. The Air Max 90 brings back a lot of ’90s nostalgia to people thanks to its bold silhouette and bright colors, and so we wanted to honor that, making the focus of the shoe the bright pink color that would match perfectly with some bright green or yellow leg warmers and a tie-dye shirt. However, the white and black upper also prevents the shoe from looking too garish, and keeps the attention on the sole, as opposed to if we tried to fit too many colors on the shoes. Moreover, the contrast between the white and black colors still allows the important details on the Air Max 90 to be visible, such as the TPU accents and the Nike swoosh on the side.