Nike has revealed its latest venture into 3D printing with the Air Max 95000, a 3D printed shoe that pays homage to its Air Max 95, 30 years after its introduction.
The shoe, unveiled with a black and green colour way, is the first to be made using Nike’s own Project Nectar 3D printing process, which appears to be based on polymer material extrusion. It’s also the second product to come out of its collaboration with Zellerfield, which last year saw the 3D printed footwear specialist’s multicolor-ready Gen3 systems used to manufacture the first-of-its-kind Air Max 1000.
The Air Max 95000 is said to have been designed to offer durability and traction on the outsole alongside a bold embellishment on the 3D printed upper. It builds on its previous work with Zellerfield by taking the same 3D printed chassis with a “Big Bubble” Max Air unit placed in the heel and a smaller Max Air unit in the forefoot to provide a soft, springy feeling underfoot.
“Zellerfeld was founded to reimagine how footwear is created and experienced,” says Cornelius Schmitt, CEO, Zellerfeld. “What began as a profound idea to give creators more freedom has grown into something much bigger. Today, the brand we all grew up admiring is using our platform to design faster, test ideas instantly, experiment without limits and bring entirely new silhouettes to life. Nike has always defined the future of footwear, and Zellerfeld's technology is helping unlock new possibilities in design.”
Brittany Shelton, VP, North America Brand Management at Nike said the multi-year collaboration with Zellerfield opens up “unlimited possibility in a new era of 3D-printed footwear.”
Nike is part of a growing list of sportswear brands that have embraced additive manufacturing technologies including adidas, which introduced its first 3D printed midsole in 2017, and Puma, which launched its monster-inspired Mostro 3.D. last year in collaboration with A$AP Rocky.
The Nike Air Max 95000 will be available on November 28.
