For our latest concept, we have gone for a more toned-down look than usual, choosing to stick to the colors black, grey, and white. This is because for a shoe like the Air Max 90, which has such a loud design to start with, sometimes a simpler color scheme works best. Check out the end result above, and read more about its creation below.
The sneaker comes primarily in a black leather upper, with grey accents on the TPU overlays around the eyelets and on the toe box. The tongue and the heel come in a grey mesh, and the Nike Air tag on the tongue is grey with white writing. Further white detailing is present on the Nike Swoosh, and both the sneaker’s lining and laces are dressed in black. The upper is then paired with a grey midsole, featuring a white highlight around the Air bubble, and a white outsole. Lastly, the Nike Air bubble has a black tint to fit the dark theme of the sneaker. By keeping our design simple, this is one of our most wearable concepts, as it would work with almost any outfit.
Our inspiration for this sneaker was a shadow, hence our use of predominantly darker colors. Shadows are synonymous with the colors black and grey, but there is also a sense of mystery around the word, which makes it such an appealing concept. We chose to use the grey details mostly around the top of the shoe, where you expect the sun to hit it, and use more black around the bottom of the upper, where a shadow would naturally form in sunlight. And of course, where a shadow is cast, there must also be light nearby, hence our use of white highlights to emphasize the key parts of the shoe.
Of course, when you think of the term “Shadow” in the context of sneakers, there is only one sneaker you think of. That is the Air Jordan 1 Shadow, a shoe that has been consistently one of the most popular Jordans for the last 36 years. Whilst the shoe does feature the same color scheme of grey, black and white, as our concept, the color blocking is very different. With that being said though, there have been plenty of shadow-themed sneakers which bear a closer resemblance to ours. And ultimately, we think the style we settled on suits the Air Max 90 the best.
