There Wouldn’t Be Nike Without Air Max

Air Max Day is not a real holiday. For starters, you’re likely reading this piece either at school (put that phone down!) or at work. Mail and FedEx will be delivered. There are no Air Max Day cards available at your local Hallmark or Paper Source. All Air Max Day really is is another way for Nike to sell shoes. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important. We sneaker types don’t really have many holidays of our own. Not ones connected to sneakers anyway. Sure, brands connect releases to actual holidays like Christmas and Halloween, but can anyone—without using Wikipedia—state with absolute certainty when Chuck Taylor’s birthday is? Anyone? (It’s June 24, and I only know that because I used Wikipedia. And, uh, you guys know who Chuck Taylor is, right?) All we have for now is Air Max Day. Perhaps other brands should take note. While Air Max was indeed introduced on March 26, 1987, Nike didn’t make Air Max Day a thing until 2014. And while a 27th anniversary isn’t generally seen as an important one, Nike went all-out from the start, reintroducing the iconic white-and-red Nike Air Max 1 with a Volt sole unit and “3.26” branding on the tongue tag. Read more at Complex.