Nike Unveils Italian Sports Car-Inspired Air Max 2090

This “shoe of the future” was inspired by Italian sports car colorways.

Nike celebrated the Air Max 90’s 30th birthday with an Easter-egg filled special edition in December. Now in the Air Max 2090, the sportswear giant looks ahead to see what the coming years will hold for athletic footwear. 

Billed as the “current shoe of the future,” this forward-looking iteration of the classic silhouette reverses the original’s dark color blocking. Materials that provide the most support are completely opaque, while peripheral components are nearly transparent. Specific colorways haven’t been announced, but Nike says that they’ll draw on the Air Max 90’s “Italian sports car”-inspired original hues. 

The Air unit viewing window, while still surrounded by the “Cassette” design element” has doubled in size, and the tread lines have been updated for optimal performance. The Swoosh, outlined in black, remains largely unchanged, as does the Air Max 90 mudguard. The classic heel logo first seen on the Air Max 90 is alluded to in the new “Air” logo.  

“We always imagine what the future could be, when it comes to icons like the Air Max 90,” Nike senior sportswear design director Dylan Raasch told Highsnobiety, “So…we looked at what makes the 90 the 90, and we wanted to celebrate it in a very tasteful way.” 

“It’s a hard thing to do,” Raasch concluded, “because you don’t want to mess with the 90 too much. We wanted to stay true to the original.” 

The Nike Air Max 2090 releases worldwide in the spring 2020.