Bred’s are back! – An Air Max 90 Black and Red concept

Black and red colorways, often referred to as “Breds,” are synonymous with Nike’s Air Jordan line, but what if instead it was used on the Nike Air Max models. Above is a mock-up of what that might look like, using the Air Max 90, which was originally known as the Air Max III in 1990.


The shoe comes in a mainly red upper, with black detailing on the tongue, toe box, and around the heel. This is paired with an all-red sole except for the iconic visible Air bubble in the heel, that has been left in white. Lastly, the TPU overlays around the laces are painted in a slightly darker red to add some contrast. The simple yet immediately recognizable color scheme gives the shoe a late 80s/early 90s feel and is very easy to build an outfit around.


The bred colorway has been given a place in the sneaker hall of fame ever since Michael Jordan was fined by the NBA for wearing Bred Nike Air Ships’s. This was due to the fact the shoes didn’t have enough white on them, but instead of giving up on the Bred’s, Nike chose to pay a rookie Michael Jordan’s fines from the league. They then advertised the Air Jordan 1 Bred using the line “The NBA threw them out of the game. Fortunately, the NBA can’t stop you from wearing them.” From then on, the Bred has been a fan favorite and has carried a rebellious image of going against the norm. Going against the norm also describes the creation of Nike Air Max, shoes that featured a visible Air bag inside the sole, hence why we think an Air Max with a Bred colorway just makes sense.


Sneaker fans adore the Bred colorway, especially after Netflix’s “The Last Dance” documentary that was released last year, which caused resale prices of Air Jordan 1 Bred retros to skyrocket. This is why we think this is the perfect time to put it on one of Nike’s other iconic models. A black and red color scheme has actually already been used on the Air Max 90 Winter; however, the shoe used a canvas upper and had a few key style changes to adapt the shoe for winter conditions. Such a popular color scheme should surely deserve to be released on the classic Air Max 90 though, and definitely with the traditional leather upper Nike debuted it on.