Nike - AIR MAXIM 1 TORCH+
One of Nike Sportswear's most exciting new products has a lineage that's instantly recognizable. Charged with updating a classic of Nike design...yada, yada, yada...you've heard the press release spiel already. The Air Max 1 falls into a desert island shoe category - were it not for the wholesale rinsing of this silhouette in any referential colour-blocking or pattern cruelly thrown at it. It works better in traditional Max colours or, in some cases, a monotone approach. As far as SMUs go, our policy runs as follows - top Atmos's 2003 masterpiece or GTFO. Most of the time the shoes should, as Dirty Harry on selector duties once intoned, "Remove ya!" The debut Max model is a shoe that's gradually evolved over the years - the bigger bubble was scrapped at an early stage, but there's been gradual alterations in that shape since it reappeared with nylon circa. 1995. We would get our magnifying glasses out for the Maxim, but it's refreshingly free from comparison, being a shiny remake. But is it a sickly imitator a la 'Public Enemy 2000' or a triumphant 'Nine & Two Clips' homage? A 1998 'Lost In Space' or a 2009 'Star Trek'? For us, it's the latter. After the Current (Bermuda?) Influenced Air Max 90 last year and the Flywire variation, it was clear this staple would fall under the spotlight. And in colourways like this, it looks amazing. This version uses Torch - a lightweight, moisture catching fabric on the collar and toebox that sits perfectly alongside the Maxim approach, and crucially, looks amazing.
