The giant of Beaverton works relentlessly to offer us a wide, current and complete range of sneakers. In addition to the reissues of retro colorways, launches of innovative silhouettes and collabs hyper sought, Nike reinvents models in order to pay tribute to its heritage. The latest, an Air Max 97 « Mr. Frank Rudy ».
This exclusive version joins the Air Max Plus and the Air Max 90 previously appeared.
It honors Marion Franklin Rudy aka Frank Rudy, the aerospace engineer who designed the encapsulated AIR technology for NIKE in 1978. The first sneaker of the Swoosh brand to benefit from this innovative technology was the Air Tailwind. Patented in 1980, the Air units revolutionized the sneaker game, helping the Beaverton-based brand rise to the top.
The Air Max 97 « Mr. Frank Rudy » appears in a white, mustard yellow, orange and royal blue color palette. It sports a white mesh base with a matching suede mudguard and enhanced by blue, yellow and orange leather overlays. The small side Swoosh and tongue and heel pulls are featured in black. The Swoosh on the tongue tag opts for blue, as does the graphic insole exposing the sketch of AIR technology and the signature of its inventor. To complete the tribute, the pair gets a hangtag in the shape of Air’s pressure tooling. The whole is based on a white midsole with a transparent Air Sole unit featuring the black inscription « Est. 1997 ». A mustard yellow outsole brings the final touch to the design.
The Nike Air Max 97 « Mr. Frank Rudy » will be released soon at select retailers and on nike.com for $185. More info to come, stay tuned !
