Nike’s First AirWorks Model Revealed as a 3D-Printed Air Max

Nike announced Air Works during this year’s Air Max Day celebration, tapping creative from around the world to help shape the future of Air Max. This week brings our first look at a product of the program, an unnamed 3D-printed sneaker.

The future of Air Max is looking bright for Nike. In the past decade, their Air Max Day releases have increasingly resorted to classic silhouettes and retros of iconic colors, shying away from making a brand new model the centerpiece of their holiday. These new additions to the family have had some trouble, none catching on like the OG 1, 90, 95, or 97. However, Nike has used Air Max as a stepping stone into the world of 3D-printed sneakers. While adidas has been experimenting since the mid 2010s, Nike wouldn’t unveil their Air Max 1000 until late in 2024 as a teaser for the shoe’s first release in 2025.

With the Air Max 1000 now out and about in the world, though quite limited, Nike announced their Air Works initiative in March of this year. The program aimed to develop the future of printed Air sneakers in partnership with creatives from around the world, bringing them to the Swoosh’s Beaverton HQ to develop exciting new concepts for the future. Since the announcement this Spring, Nike has been relatively silent on Air Works, save for a May announcement about the creative superteam they put together. Now, we finally have our first look at an Air Works project, courtesy of Motoi Hatsuki, the mind behind Japan’s Blue Room vintage store.

Hatsuki’s first look at a sneaker from the Air Works program is both familiar and fresh. Partnering with Zellerfeld, the company that produces all printed Air Max sneakers, the new silhouette is currently unnamed. The model uses the same general shape as the Air Max 1000 and 95000, but adds plenty of new details to the upper portion of the single-piece sneaker. The some bears a neon green Air unit in the heels, as well as a forefoot Air bag borrowed from the 95000. The upper’s elements seem to borrow from Nike’s Tailwind V, adding teethlike styling to both sides of the silhouette.

Nike has yet to announce any releases from their conceptual Air Works program, and we don’t expect to get any of the results in hand for some time. As per their original press release in March, the creators in the program will receive a limited run of their sneakers for friends and family, with a small batch designated for their communities, likely limited to their home towns or regions. These exclusive releases will lead into Air Max Day 2027, when Nike will likely announce new models or next steps for Air Works.

Check out the early images below, and stay tuned to JustFreshKicks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more of the latest sneaker news, release dates, and restock alerts. 

The post Nike’s First AirWorks Model Revealed as a 3D-Printed Air Max appeared first on JustFreshKicks.