Recap: Nike Air Max #SNEAKERBALL (Paris)

Last week we headed over to Paris to celebrate all things Air Max on top of the building that inspired it all; the Centre Pompidou.

You would be hard pushed to not notice that this year is a special year for Air Max with the amount of celebration that Nike are giving it. I’m not complaining by any means – it’s one of Nike’s most important and best looking design developments ever (and I love a good Nike party). This time the sneaker elites of the world gathered in Paris to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Air Max with the man responsible for the whole thing; Tinker Hatfield.

First, let me explain the relevance of the Centre Pompidou and Paris in all of this. While on vacation in Paris many years ago, Tinker Hatfield visited the Centre Pompidou to soak up some iconic architecture (as an architect himself) and had a brain wave. Inspired by the tubes on the outside of the building that house the escalators, Tinker conjured up the idea of having a “window” on the midsole of sneaker to display the Nike Air system. It also bought the designers a little more room to throw in a little more Air. With this moment of inspiration came what we now know as the Air Max line, one of the most recognisable design elements in footwear in general.

Fast forward 25 and a bit years and we’re all stood on the roof of the Pompidou watching the sunset over Paris, staring at all the different Air Max models and colourways on each others feet and generally geeking out like only sneaker nerds can do.

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what went down and what it was like. I have to be honest in saying that not even these great photos can do the event justice. It was slightly magical.

Hold tight for an interview with a very special guest at the party hitting the site soon …

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About the Author

Alex Synamatix

One of three co-founders at THE DAILY STREET, Alex is our Editor-in-Chief, overseeing all TDS activity. Outside of TDS, Alex is a respected creative in his own right, from art directing club nights (comm•une) to consulting for some of the largest global brands.