Celebrating 20 Years of the Air Max 95

Nike started the year off by celebrating 25 years of the Air Max 90, and so did we. So when Nike announced the return of OG colorways of the Air Max 95 releasing for its 20th anniversary we of course decided to follow along as well.

Unlike the Air Max 90, and many other popular Air Maxes, Tinker Hatfield was not the designer of the Air Max model in 1995. Sergio Lozano was tasked with continuing signature running model and took it in a new direction. A shift in direction, inspiration and design was brought with the new lead designer. Although the redesigned air bag system was already developed beforehad, Lozano can take credit for designing the upper and iconic “neon” colorway. New to the running team, Lozano admits his youth and naive nature of the time was a perfect formula.

But don’t think Tinker wasn’t somehow part of the sneaker design. Lozano referenced a saying Tinker uses frequently, “‘Okay, so that’s a great design, but what’s your story?” So with some anatomy books in hand, the human ribs, muscles and skin served as the foundation for the uppers. The smaller Swoosh placement was a big design feature that took persuading to get passed during the process, letting the large air units be the main Nike feature. The gradient fade idea came from Lozano noticing how dirt compiled on runner’s sneakers so this was his way to combat the AM95 from looking dirty. Another controversial design cue within Beaverton was the usage of a small Swoosh (at first there was none at all!) that is now of course one of it’s key features.

As with any list we know there are some gems that made the list, but you can’t win them all. Enjoy 20 of our favorite Air Max 95’s over the years.