Following up an icon is difficult enough. Following up on a shoe that became an icon for completely revolutionizing footwear design almost reaches the labors of Hercules level. Which is to say that it is so difficult, that it almost seems designed to fail. This is the psychic hole that the Air Max 90 had to dig its way out of, from the moment it was conceived of as an idea.

Of course, as anyone who hasn’t been cryogenically frozen for the past thirty years knows, Tinker Hatfield’s follow up to the legendary Air Max 1 not only lived up to the expectations already carried by the Air Max name, it exceeded them.

As the first Air Max of a brand new decade, the Air Max 90 reflected the rapid but seismic shifts in the landscape that occurred between the release of the first and second Air Max models. Although the appetite for ‘extreme’ aesthetics was still just around the next corner, by 1990 tastes in sportswear had embraced comprehensively bolder looks.

The Air Max 90 responded by increasing the volume contained in the Air units, and the size of the visible Air window to go along with it. A busier look, featuring TPU ribbing, and paneled overlays took a more aggressive stance than its predecessor, as did a plethora of vivid colorways.

Now some 31 years later, the Air Max 90 is still a sought-after classic with constant updates and new colorways. The latest iteration utilizes a hemp, summit white and sanddrift color combo with premium material upgrades. A canvas upper combines with suede overlays and black mudguards while the Swoosh and tongue trim are done up in tumbled leather 

• Nike Air Max 90 Premium
• Hemp/Summit White-Sanddrift
• DA1641-201