Air Max 97
On-Air: Shanghai
Air Max 97 by Cash Ru
On-Air: Shanghai
Last year, Nike invited locals in New York City, London, Paris, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo to design their own Nike Air Max inspired by the uniqueness of their communities. From these 'On Air' workshops, 18 finalists were chosen based on the creative executions of their designs. The public then voted on six winners—one per city—which included Cash Ru from Shanghai.
Ru chose the Air Max 97 and was inspired by the buoyancy and disappearance of clouds over the futuristic city of Shanghai. "The name of my design is 'Kaleidoscope' and the inspiration comes from the interaction between clouds and skyscrapers in Pudong's Lujiazui", he says. "The different shapes that arise through condensation mirror the high-speed development of Shanghai".
Ru, a self-proclaimed sneakerhead, was challenged to make his shoe more wearable than his original sketches—an "art piece", as he described it. "Turning concept into reality was a long, complicated journey", he says. "The birth of a sneaker requires a lot of collaboration and communication".
All of the tweaking and refining of the sneaker paid off for Ru. "Designing a sneaker of my own is really a childhood dream", he says. "I've been a huge fan of sneakers since secondary school. I feel really lucky and grateful for the recognition my design has received".
Country/Region of Origin: Vietnam