Nike’s Air Max running shoe line is one of the most iconic families of sneakers of all time. Since 1987 when Tinker Hatfield designed the very first Air Max runner, now known as the Air Max 1, the running shoes with the maximum amount of visible Air have been the expected centerpiece of Nike’s cushion-focused running shoe line each year.

Now twenty-seven years after the Air Max 1, there have been almost countless shoes equipped with Max Air from not just running, but basically every one of Nike’s categories from cross-training to skateboarding.


However, it’s each year’s flagship Air Max running shoe that is most synonymous with the large windows of visible Air.

Almost every year since the original Air Max, that window seemed to get bigger and bigger on the shoe, until it reached a truly maximum amount of Air in 2006 with the Air Max 360. Along the way, certain Air Max models took gradual steps to achieving the full-length Air window. Perhaps no model was more important to this process than the one we’re here to talk about today, the Air Max ’93.

In the Air Max running shoe lineage, there are a few models that seem to get all the glory: namely the Air Max 1, Air Max 90, and Air Max 95. All of which are great in their own right, but I’d like to make an argument that one of the best—and certainly the most underrated—Air Max model is the Air Max ’93.

270° of Air

Designed once again by Tinker Hatfield, the Air Max model from 1993 was important to the Air Max’s technological advancements because it was the first model to utilize a full Air Max bubble across the entire heel.

Before the Air Max '93, each Air Max model had a visible Air window confined in only the heel’s midsole, visible merely on the lateral and medial sides of the shoe. (The Nike Air 180 from 1992 had visible Air across the outsole of the heel, but still had foam in the rear heel.) The Air Max 93’s Air unit burst forth into the shoe bigger than ever, with a eye-popping 270° of visible Air.  But not before plenty of trial and error from the Nike design team.

There were two main problems to overcome with the gigantic Air bubble: stability and durability of the Air unit. By removing all of the foam from the heel, Nike had to perfect the Air unit’s construction to still provide support for running. They also had to make sure the large bubble wouldn’t pop. Nike solved these two bubble puzzles by joining forces with Tetra Plastic, and together they perfected a blow-molded rubber technique, which injected both the Air Max support columns with hard plastic and gas into the bubble through external tubes. This innovative technique ultimately provided a larger, yet sturdy enough Air Max unit to keep the shoe road worthy for plenty of miles.

Technical Yet Beautiful

Adding to the Air Max 93’s technology, the upper featured a more lightweight construction than ever, featuring plenty of mesh, including a see-through panel in the midfoot, and a Huarache-style neoprene bootie to hug the ankle. The Air Max '93 was also the first Nike shoe to have colored columns within the Air unit.

Overall, the Air Max 93 is one of the best balances of good looks, technology and performance of the entire Air Max running line. It’s even been mentioned by Tinker Hatfield as being his favorite model of all the Air Maxes he designed. And that’s saying a lot!

Back in 2014

After a few Air Max 93 retro releases in the mid 2000’s the Air Max 93 is back in stores again in a number of new and original colorways this fall. If you consider yourself a fan of Air Maxes, or any classic running shoes for that matter, you’ll definitely want to add a pair to your collection before they disappear into (not-so) thin Air again.