Venturing outside of our usual concept rotation, albeit still sticking to an Air Max model, we have decided to give the Air Max Plus an arctic blue makeover. Check out how it went above and read about our thought process below.
Our concept comes in a white mesh base, with arctic blue hits on the plastic exoskeleton and the mudguard that circles the bottom of the upper. Further blue detailing is present on the tongue and its tag, and then the lining, laces, and Nike Swoosh are all coated in black. The upper is then paired with a dark grey midsole and a black outsole, but with the full-length Air unit sporting a blue tint.
We have once again returned to an arctic, or at least winter, setting as inspiration for our latest concept. The plastic exoskeleton resembles the icicles that form in frosty weather, and the white base represents the snow. Our use of black and grey detailing is a purely stylistic choice, adding a bit of contrast, and drawing your attention to details like the Nike Swoosh on the side of the shoe. Lastly, the blue tint on the Air bubble makes it seem like the bubble may instead be filled with water, a detail that custom brand MSCHF once actually made, but that Nike has never attempted.
Overall, the winter-inspired look resembles the popular University Blue colorway that has been used on a couple of different Nike and Air Jordan models over the years. Using a slightly darker blue, there was even a University Blue Air Max Plus that was released earlier this year. However, both the exoskeleton and main bootie of the upper were covered in the same blue, making its iconic palm tree-inspired stripes less visible. We have therefore made the conscious choice to use white instead for the base of the upper, in order to fully commit to our winter theme, as well as give the sneaker back its stripes.
Designed by Sean McDowell, the Air Max Plus was inspired by sketches of Miami beaches at night. Therefore, you may have thought a chilling light blue and white upper wouldn’t work on a shoe that was inspired by a popular summer destination. However, you would be wrong. We think our theme works extremely well with the model, but also that our chilly colorway would be a great sneaker for the summer months, thanks to its bright upper.
