NIKE AIR MAX PLUS
BEHIND THE DESIGN
Take a peek behind the curtain and find out from Nike Designers Romain Le Strat and Timo Wesseling what inspired this latest iteration of the shoe known as ‘the shark’.
‘LA REQUIN’
After the Air Max Plus dropped in 1998, it was quickly adopted by the French suburban youth who nicknamed it ‘La Requin’ (The Shark)—because of its aggressive styling and gill-like exoskeleton. This new drop is “an ode to those who gave it that nickname,” says Romain. “They gave it a life of its own.”
OLD SCHOOL WITH A TWIST
This new design nods to the past—using both OG colourways as well as OG aglets. At the same time, it distorts tradition with its disruptive, dynamic upper graphic with hints of sharks’ teeth, “It embodies the animal’s lethal combination of speed and power,” Timo explains.
FROM THE STREET
“The Tn has long been a symbol of street culture,” they continue. “And an intrinsic part of that is football.” This is brought to life with the ‘20 Years’ Tn badge that features here on the shoe’s tongue for the first time. Overall, the premium materials—such as leather mudguard, heel foxing and lining—make this more than ‘just’ a new colourway, but a fitting tribute to a legendary shoe.
GET YOURS
The new Nike Air Max Plus FR launches exclusively in France on 26 March—in limited numbers.