Just when I think that NIKE has finished pushing the design technology envelope, the good folks from Oregon find another level.
NIKE’s flagship technical running shoe had a celebrity bar mitzvah at NIKETOWN. There was free food and refreshments all around the store. I love when NIKETOWN does these special invite only events because I really get to appreciate the building as one of the great temples to sneaker culture along with hundreds of other true believers. The Negro Network’s very own video jig TIG hosted the party to launch the AIR MAX 360.
The real celebrity last nite though was the AIR MAX brand. The AIR MAX shoe has been a favorite item for everyone from the die-hard 6am morning jogger to the kids in the ‘LO sweaters and SteepTech jackets. Fans of the brand had gathered at NIKETOWN in some of their crispiest kicks. I debuted a pair of my AIR MAX TL’s from 2004.
NIKE even offered special limited edition AIR MAX I.T.’s to commemorate the event. I had to copp these ‘sick to death’ AIR 180 BRS editions. I will call them my ‘Fruity Pebbles’. (no brokeback, of course)
My next acquisition will be a pair of the AIR MAX 360 in the pearl/red colorway. I tried these joints on and I was almost tempted to sprint out of the store. I feel like its generic of me to tell you how comfortable they feel, but if you can imagine wearing bubble wrap on your feet then you have an idea of how smooth these kicks are. My favorite part of the shoe is that the foot pad is a little wider than what I am used to from the AIR MAX brand. My one complaint was the lacing eyelet design. I would guess that NIKE moved away from intergrating a polycarbon lace retainer system to assist the shoes in being so lightweight, but I just didn’t care for the design they ended up with (peep the A.M. ’05 lace retainer system – straight dope).
Anyhoo, it was cool to be in a nerd ‘fest without TRIUMPH the Insult Comic Dog busting your balls (no brokeback). I was also pleasantly surprised with the amount of shorties that came to the event. In the early days these sneaker cons used to be like cargo pants swordfighting (extra no brokeback).
