Most Popular Nike Shoes of All Times
Nike, a renowned brand in athletic footwear, has produced numerous iconic shoe models over the years. From running to basketball, Nike has catered to various sports and lifestyles.
Nike as one of the most popular sports brand (honestly and personally, it is the most popular brand in the world) has manufactured at least hundreds very successful shoes models.
It is very hard to choose top 10 models, and there are already so many blogs and articles that are talking about top shoes models from Nike.
In this article, I’ve listed the Top 10 Nike shoe models that have been the most popular across sports, performance, fashion.
Let’s begin the journey!
Nike Air Force 1
• First Released: 1982
• Air Type: Air Sole
• Best for: Basketball and Lifestyle
• Comments: The Nike Air Force 1, designed by Bruce Kilgore, was the first basketball shoe to feature Nike Air technology. Its clean and timeless design has made it a streetwear staple, transcending its original purpose on the basketball court. These days, it is more popular on the street, even between little kids like 10-12 years old students. In early 2000, there used to be many limited edition like collaboration with stussy, bape, Heineken, etc and the price was up to 400-500 dollars 20 years ago. I see those rare shoes are much more expensive now. It is worth to have one for everyday use, it goes well with shorts, blue jeans, even sport wears. Highly recommended model.
Cannot believe it was designed more than 40 years ago!
Nike Air Max 1
• Air Type: Visible Air Max
• Best for: Running and Lifestyle
• Comments: The Nike Air Max 1, designed by Tinker Hatfield, introduced visible Air cushioning, revolutionizing the sneaker industry. Its bold design and superior comfort have made it a favourite among runners and sneaker enthusiasts. I remember my first air max one was all black including the swoosh part. I was 17 year old (of course high school student), it was very popular between students, footlocker and most nike stores didn’t have enough stock at that time. Max one is well suitable for fashion, but the very front part of the shoes was weak, the glue wasn’t that strong. However, it has been ranked 2nd of 10, I believe it is because of the sales numbers with popularity across ages/generations.
Nike Air Jordan 1
• Air Type: Air-Sole
• Best for: Basketball and Lifestyle
• Comments: Here we go. AJ1 is here. It’s been almost 40 years now and still so popular. Even teens or little kids don’t know who Michael Jordan is, never watched MJ’s basketball games. But they know ‘Air Jordan’ the iconic brand of Nike. One of the best decisions Nike has made so far is that they started designing and making basketball shoes for MJ! Nonetheless, AJ1 is Must-have item for street fashion, the popularity will last forever. People don’t wear this shoes for basketball games, it is a fashion item. Here’s a bit of background of AJ1.
The Nike Air Jordan 1, designed for Michael Jordan, became an instant classic with its iconic “Bred” and “Chicago” colorways.
Nike Air Max 90
• Air Type: Visible Air Max
• Best for: Running and Lifestyle
• Comments: The Nike Air Max 90, originally known as the Air Max III, features a larger Air unit and bold color-blocking, setting it apart from its predecessors. Its durability and comfort make it a versatile choice for both running and everyday wear. From my memory, it was like school uniform shoes 20 years ago (slightly more than 20yrs). It was not that expensive, black or white colour or mixed colour were quite common. It was comfortable, just normal running was OK, not for long distance running though. Simple design with bold nike swoosh made it popular (like the swoosh part). Still strong in the market.
Nike Air Max 95
• First Released: 1995
• Air Type: Visible Air Max
• Best for: Running and Lifestyle
• Details: The Nike Air Max 95, designed by Sergio Lozano, was inspired by the human anatomy, with its layered upper resembling muscles and spine. Its innovative design and superior cushioning have made it a favorite among runners and sneaker collectors.
Above is background/history of the Max 95. Where to start,, the photo above was mine, air max 95 purple mesh. There used to be a lot of trades between individuals online, it is still happening in 2024, not just limited in one or two countries, it is happening globally. I see max 95 is now less popular than old days, but still it reminds me my old memories. The gradation of the fabric, some models have 3M scotch type of fabric which reflects a lot at night time, is my favourite part of max 95. It is not as comfortable as Nike freerun or Adidas ultraboost, but it is still comfortable for walking and quite durable enough to wear for years without any torn fabrics. Again, it is ok for running but highly recommend for fashion item. Especially to 30-40ish people, let’s remember your teens life!
Nike Air Max 97
• Air Type: Full-length Air Max
• Best for: Running and Lifestyle
• Details: The Nike Air Max 97, designed by Christian Tresser, features a sleek and futuristic design with its full-length Air unit and reflective accents. It is another series of the most popular air max. It has beeb beloved shoes by shoes collectors and many nicknames were given to each colour. I’d say it is the steady seller, many women love white colour max 97. You will be able to find air max 97 at any nike or footlocker stores.
Personally, it looks great with training pants or leggings like Lululemon.
Nike inspires all other sports brands and also athletes and consumer. New designs and technologies are being developed and we as consumer are expecting more comfortable and good looking shoes from the major shoe manufacturers. However, I personally want to see the classic legends shoes like Air Zoom GP, old Air Moc!
I hope you enjoyed reading my posting above.
