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Let’s be honest, Sergio Lozano set the bar to heights never fathomed when he designed the Air Max 95, but the following year Nike brought out one of the most under rated and almost forgotten running shoes – the Nike Air Max ’96. ?Just like with the ’95, the Air Max ’96 featured forefoot and heel Max Air cushioning including different tunings of bags set at 25 PSI and 5PSI to provide heel stability. ?Also like it’s predecessor, the Nike Air Max 96 was designed with an upper that flowed through to the sole with lines continuing across the different elements of the shoe.
Unlike the Air Max 95 though, the shoe made a one time only drop in 1996 and came in just 4 colors – two for men and two for the ladies. ?Nike flirted with the idea of bringing back the shoe in 2007 but thankfully scrapped the all black patent and cactus color that was set to come out and match the clearance dwelling Nike Air Tech Challenge of the same colorup. ?Nike did bring back the shoes (somewhat) as an Air Max 96 x 90 x 180 mashup in 2007.
Will we ever see the Air Max 96 return? ?No one can fully predict the future, but seeing a recent slowdown in popularity of the AM 97 and the AM 95 gives me hope that Nike will bring back the 96 to fill the void. ?What are your thoughts and memories of this classic?
Nike Air Max ’96
White/Obsidian-Scream Green
104071-141
$130 (original price)
