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FAD Magazine covers contemporary art – News, Exhibitions and Interviews reported on from London

Maxing out on the Revolution

 

Nike Air Max 90

 

According to respected trainer connoisseur Bobbito Garcia 1987 was the end of an era. For him, “too many elements of what had been a very underground sneaker cultural movement in New York became mainstream. Sneaker design went overboard and really took a bad turn.” This was the year that Nike released a television advertisement announcing the ‘Revolution’, a media crusade further emphasised by the adroit choice to include the Beatles track of the same name: Nike believed they were now running things.

In 1981 Nike had employed shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, a keen sportsman who had trained as an architect, six years later this decision was now making commercial sense. Tinker had been admiring the Centre Pompidou in Paris when he came up with the novel idea to display the air bubble in one of his trainer designs, now known as the Air Max. Air cushioning technology had been introduced in 1979, via the Tailwind – but the Tailwind featured only an integrated air unit. Tinker thought the exposed escalators, pipes and metalwork of the Parisian institution an inspirational piece of architectural innovation, transferable to trainer design. The Air Max had arrived as a cultural artefact.

 

Nike Air Max 97

 

Fast forward ten years and The Face magazine declared that anyone wearing the Nike Air Max Metallic was in ‘league with the devil’. In August 1998, Vogue’s Luella Bartley wrote a piece entitled ‘The Death of the Trainer’, claiming that trainers were then used by everyone ‘from politicians to Radio 1 DJ’s as a prop to bluff their way into the world of hip.”

In early 1999 I was buying my first Air Max 98s. Purchased from a shop in Shepherd’s Bush Market, they were imports and I felt like the only person in the world that had them. Trainers are one of the most socially significant objects we can buy and wear, and that’s why celebrating the Nike Air Max’s history is culturally important, whether it be the end or just the beginning of your relationship with the sneaker.

I had green spectrum-coloured Air Max 98s and my best mate had the blue and red, we referred to them as “TNs”, and rocked them with full adidas tracksuits. They were vibrant, rare, confident, expensive and most importantly made friends envious. Our trainers reflected our newfound independence; our parents allowed us to venture beyond the end the street to our own trainers. The web-pattern fabric, numerous air bubbles and dynamic shape represented what, I believed, everyone else desired. My memories of my first Air Max mean a lot to me. I will always remember the identity they granted me.

 

Nike Air Max 13

 

In 2013, Nike introduced Air Max ‘Reinvented’ – but if they are available everywhere what is the point? In Issue 4 of the trainer zine ‘Deadstock’, satirical agony aunt Claire Traynor answers the plea to a reader who is dedicated to his Nike Safaris but feels he has “sinned” by “purchasing the re-issues”. She replies with a stern: “Cheating on your shoes is a sin, the only solution is for you to send your originals here where we will give them a good home. You nasty bastard”.

However, it doesn’t seem like such treachery now. Today doesn’t seem to be about being ahead of the game as the trainer game is not able to sustain competition for such originality and exclusivity. Fashion trends can’t really leak slowly into society – one blog post or one Instagram shot and bam it’s out there. People are so aware of themselves, never before has the number of people you are chummy with been so exposed, so you brag about what you have and you don’t hold things to your chest.

So why do we look back? Finding solace in heritage could give you back what you lose from the ease and ubiquity of the Internet. In the 1970s wearing sneakers that no one had was the main concern and in the 80s hip-hop culture treated them as objects of desire – but it doesn’t have to remain the case today.

 

Sam Coldy

 

This Easter weekend Nike celebrated 25 years of the Air Max by putting on an exhibition showing the work of five London-based creatives, each recreating one of the trainers in the iconic Air Max series.

Graphic artist Sam Coldy was given the most interesting task. He had no archive material or elements from the past to draw upon in his reinvention of the Air Max 2013. Currently running trainers not only display revolutionary technology but are also having a fashion moment. Sam took the bright colours and variety of materials and shapes found on the Air Max 13 and used them to create a series of prints that focused on the movement and shape of the shoe during the three main stages of impact while running. The result is a beautiful print triptych. He says “ More people are living in cities than ever before, which means a lot more people are now running on hard surfaces. The Air Max ’13 provides the required cushioning for this. In a way, the Air Max ‘13 represents the future of running. I wanted my piece to reflect this, as well as show a forward motion and the smoothness of the ride. The synthetic colours within modern cities were a great source of inspiration, specifically when the light is low, like during a run before or after work. That’s when these tones really stand out. The colours Nike have used in the leading shoe complement this concept.”

 

Nike Air Max 95

 

Nike is constantly looking to the future, not only in terms of the quality and performance of their next trainer, but also how to market it. The exhibition is a fitting way of doing this. It not only gives a nod to the history of the trainer, but also does this in an environment using a creative team that treats such nostalgia in the context of the future.

Tory Turk for FAD

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