![]() ![]() Any other perceived meaning or representation is unintentional.” ![]() When asked whether the launch would go forward as planned, Nike told Runner’s World that the company is taking the concerns seriously, and that the logo “is intended to reflect the Air Max brand only. A petition to recall the shoe gained more than 43,000 signatures based on the Air Max logo’s apparent depiction of the word “Allah,” which some muslims consider offensive. The Air Max 720’s launch generated both hype and controversy. ![]() Nike told us that the 720 isn’t a running shoe, which sounded like a challenge to us-more on that later. And those opinions will be shared with you whether you want to hear them or not. To wear it, you have to like attention, because it’s impossible for someone to see this shoe and not form a strong opinion. Here’s what you need to know about the Air Max 720, the latest Air Max that dropped on February 1, and also the most decadent, stiff, outrageous sneaker to ever grace the Runner’s World office: It’s pretty ridiculous. It may seem strange, but remember: The Air Max 1 was a weird idea when it came out over two decades ago, too.Price: $180 Type: Casual Available: Sold Out (Next drop: 2/21) LEARN MORE MORE IMAGES Editor’s note: This article was updated after we received a pair of Nike Air Max 720s to try. NPD analyst Matt Powell says over e-mail that it’s “too soon to tell” how the 720 is selling, but the way Nike is putting the shoes out means the brand thinks this is the sneaker people want to wear now and in the near future. If it was floated out there as a trial balloon, the results must have been encouraging: The 270 ended 2018 as the country’s second-best-selling sneaker, according to trend forecaster NPD. Raasch says that the Air Max 270, a shoe with similar tubing but much less Air than the 720, was “a test pilot” for this new sneaker. Unlike with many of Nike’s more out-there designs, the brand has released the 720 in large enough quantities that anyone can go online right now and grab a pair. They started designing the 720 four years ago, in 2015, dreaming of a day when people would trade in their sleek and simple Common Projects for these innertube-shaped 720s.Īnd Nike is betting that the whole world, not just high-fashion circles, is ready for the Great Chunkening of their shoes. Nike’s designers say that they weren’t necessarily following trends with this shoe, though. The 720 takes that modest window seen on the Air Max 1 and warps it through the funhouse mirror all fashion seems to go through in 2019. “The design team really wanted this to be an exaggerated shape and as big as possible to really communicate that comfort,” Small says. Even the copy on the shoe’s product page asks, and then answers, “Has Air Max gone too far? We hope so.” The sole, to be sure, is comically large, but that was the only surefire way to get the shoe’s message across, according to Small and Dylan Raasch, Air Max’s senior creative director who was also on the call. Since announcing the Air Max 720 in January of this year, Nike has talked up the airbag (largest in company history!) that serves as the shoe’s sole. “ ‘Does it look okay on the foot?’ ” And then Small asks, again, maybe just to double-check: “Is it too big?” The team’s answer, ultimately? If it’s too big, then, well, that’s the point. “We had a lot of conversations like, ‘Is it too big?’ ” says Jesi Small, the senior footwear designer for the Air Max line. Even at a company built around the mantra of Just Do It, the Air Max 720 had Swoosh employees changing the motto to Just Let’s Think About It for a Second.
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