Air Max 97: From Roads to Royalty
This is probably one of the most iconic Nike sneakers ever made. I say this not just because they are my favourites and I have owned countless of these over the years.
But despite a release date over 20 years ago, they are still available today. The same design, just with an occasional new colour spin to them. So, I mustn’t be the only one who loves these so much, if Nike is constantly making them available again.
Taking The Window To Extremes
What’s so cool about them is that for the first time since their first release, Nike brought the Air window to a whole new level. It runs practically from the heel all the way to the toes. You can see the entire internal design, which just 10 years earlier was completely hidden.
It actually looks almost like the shoe is floating and I guess the only other extension would be to have the window extend all the way around.
High-Speed Design Inspirations
The sleek lines that look like waves were actually inspired by a Japanese high-speed bullet train. While the look won’t make you run faster in these, they most certainly will make you stand out in the crowd.
But the 97s also started featuring some new materials that made them lighter than before which is why they became so popular in the athletics world as well.
Unless, of course, you’re at a hip hop concert where I have seen more of these than any other sneaker available. And that includes the 90s and Air Max 1s.
No Lack Of Colourways
As already mentioned, you can still buy these and Nike are constantly releasing new colours and designs. You can get anything from multi-colour stripes to plain single-colour ones. And there’s even a few really old school looking ones with a huge Nike swoosh on the side.
You should definitely check out some of the latest creations to see what you could add to your collection.
1997
It was the year The Notorious B.I.G. was killed and just a year after Tupac was shot as well. But there was good news for the hip-hop industry as well with tons of great albums being released.
Jay-Z released his second album called In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, which hit the Billboard charts at number 3. Eminem’s Slim Shady EP also became a huge success and started an amazing career.
It was definitely a year that stands out where mainstream music TV and radio shows would feature more rap songs.
Benny the butcher and the Grisleda Team also mention 97’s regularly as the shoe has made a comeback in the last few years with the re-releases and sharp design.
