We all know it. We all love it. And at some point, we’ve all had it: the Nike Air Max. The shoe everyone knows. A silhouette that’s been part of growing up. From school hallways to city streets, marking the first outfits you were proud of. More than just a sneaker, it became part of the culture. Somewhere between heritage and future, Nike is opening their doors. What happens when you hand one of the most iconic sneaker silhouettes to a new generation of creatives?

With Air Works, Nike introduces a new research, development and design program that feels less like a traditional initiative and more like a creative reset. A global platform that brings together emerging designers from across the world to rethink the future of Air Max, not as a trend, but as a cultural expression. Eight cities. Eight designers. Eight distinct visions of what Air Max could become.

The first Air Works program brings together creatives from Beijing, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo. Diﬀerent time zones, diﬀerent references, diﬀerent realities, all meeting at Nike’s Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, Oregon this May. From May 11 to May 14, these designers will work closely with Nike mentors, designers and engineers. The people who make Nike what it really is: Iconic. Their goal? A collaboration focused on cultural perspective as much as design. It’s about translating lived experiences into design, letting each participant bring their own community into the process. Because Air Works prioritizes individual and local perspectives over one single global design.

**Air Max, Reimagined in 3D**

At the center of the program: 3D-printed Air Max silhouettes, developed in partnership with Zellerfeld. Each design is meant to reflect the individuality of its creator, a unique interpretation of Air Max, shaped not just visually, but culturally. Rather than revisiting the archive, Air Works positions heritage as a foundation for something new.

As Andy Caine, VP and Creative Director of Nike Sportswear, explains, the program is designed to bring global creative perspectives together, combining outside perspectives with Nike’s internal tools, archives and expertise. Participants will gain access to key parts of Nike’s design and innovation infrastructure, including the Department of Nike Archives, the Nike Sport Research Lab, the Air Manufacturing Innovation facility, the Blue Ribbon Studio, and the Bowerman Footwear Lab. Air Works offers access to the full spectrum of Nike’s design ecosystem. This hands-on approach allows designers to move beyond concept and directly engage with the technologies and processes behind Air.

From Global Platform to Local Release

But what happens after the program? That’s where it gets really interesting. Each designer will release a limited friends-and-family version of their shoe within their own community. Air Works focuses on localized storytelling. Just local moments, unfolding organically over time. These releases will take place over the coming year, leading into Air Max Day 2027. Air Works signals something subtle but important. A move away from designing for culture, toward designing with it. Instead of asking how Air Max can stay relevant, Nike is asking who gets to define relevance in the first place. And the answer, right now, looks global.

Diverse.

Hyper-local at the same time.

Less about one future.

But many.

Eight designers. Eight cities. Eight interpretations of Air Max.

That’s what is really defines Air Max today.

by Noémi Zak

Nike’s Air Works Program Gathers Designers From Around the World to Co-Create the Future of Air Max

Was I Written by a Man or a Woman And Why This Question Haunts Me