For this year’s Air Max Day “Vote Forward” campaign, Nike invited a dozen creatives from all over the world — dubbed “Revolutionairs” — to Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. These artists, designers, DJs, and retailers were tasked with reimagining Nike Air Max styles; the Revolutionair’s shoe with the most votes will have his or her Nike Air model released.
The twelve Revolutionairs are Alexandra Hackett (London), Artemy Lebedev (Moscow), Bunyamin Aydin (Istanbul), Celement Balvoine (Amsterdam), Fabikr (Seoul), Kyle Ng (Los Angeles), Lourdes Villagómez (Mexico City), Naotaka Konno (Tokyo), Sean Wotherspoon (Los Angeles), Shangguan Zhe (Shanghai), Tianzhou Chen (Beijing), and Venus X (New York).
Below is a look at all the Nike 12 RevolutionAirs designs. Voting begins March 17th on Nike SNKRS.
Polls will be open through March 25th, and the winner will then be announced the following day on the 26th, with their shoe being released in 2018.
ALEXANDRA HACKETT (LONDON)
Hackett’s shoe combines elements from the Air Max 1, 90, 180, 93, 97, Plus, 360 and 2015.
ARTEMY LEBEDEV (MOSCOW)
Lebedev’s shoe pairs the Air Max 97 silhouettes with a blacked-out, reflective upper and a zip-up shroud covering the laces.
BUNYAMIN AYDIN (ISTANBUL)
Aydin’s shoe reflects Eastern cultural history by combining artisanal textures with contemporary digital painting.
CLEMENT BALAVOINE (AMSTERDAM)
Balavoine’s shoe draws inspiration from the upper of the Air Max 90 and the tongue and tooling of the Air Max 97, with additional details like cryptic numbers printed on the airbag.
FABRIKR (SEOUL)
Fabrikr’s shoe is insured by sneakerheads wrapping their shoes in plastic, as well as the morning fog at Nike WHQ. It places transparent material on the upper of the OG Red and White Air Max 1.
KYLE NG (LOS ANGELES)
NG’s Air Max 1 Ultra Flyknit has hand-painted neutral colors an hints of Infrared with a heel that reads, “Give a Damn” in support of expression and empathy.
LOURDES VILLAGÓMEZ (MEXICO CITY)
Villagomez’s Air Max 1 x Air Max 90 hybrid is inspired by the vibrance of the Quetzal bird found in the forests of Central America.
NAOTAKA KONNO (TOKYO)
Konno’s shoe combines a Flyknit upper and Air Max 97 airbag with inspiration from Tokyo’s club scene and street culture.
SEAN WOTHERSPOON (LOS ANGELES)
Wotherspoon’s Air Max 97 x Air Max 1 hybrid is inspired by vintage nike hats from the ’80s.
SHANGGUAN ZHE (SHANGHAI)
Zhe’s shoe has an upper feature a pattern inspired by the wings of Dragon Flies, one of the lightest creatures found in nature.
CHEN TIANZHUO (BEIJING)
Tianzhuo’s shoe draws inspiration from ski boots, bugs, plate armor, and the Kobe IX Elite.
VENUS X (NEW YORK)
Venus X’s shoe pairs an Air Max 97 upper in the classic Air Max Plus colorway with bold lettering on the toe and leg.
