Over the years, many colour variations of the Air Max Plus were produced for different countries - so much so that it became difficult to keep track of them. The US editions tended to carry lighter colours, while those designed for the Asian market were darker.
Nike realized the popularity of certain colourways and has reissued several. For example, the original ‘Hyper Blue’ edition has reappeared recently with a slightly different toe-guard, and the original black edition was reissued with patent leather in place of the regular suede areas. Nike has brought out variations on the basic model, including the Air Max Plus 2, 3, 4 and 5, and the slip-on variant of the first model, but none of them were particularly successful.
Although this shoe established itself as a firm favourite in London, where it was associated with the hip-hop and garage scenes, it failed to achieve the same level of success in the US.
The airbrush effect on the upper looked like a new concept altogether, but the Nike Japan Terra Rainbow, which came out in 1984, used a similar fading style. While it was this distinctive print that got the shoe its initial fan base, later models of the Air Max Plus featured different variations on the upper, such as patterned prints (grid, floral and others), leather and nubuck suede.
Nike Air Max Plus
First Released: 1998
Original Purpose: Running
Example Shown: Original
Notes: This model was the first running shoe to feature Nike’s Tuned Air system, and the shoe is often referred to as Air TN. The plastic toe-guard kept things clean and tidy at the front end of the shoe.
Info/Picture: Click Here
