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Nike to release most cutting edge 'Air Max' series
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What makes the Nike Air VaporMax stand out is its build as the company has chosen to eliminate the foam midsole and instead attach the upper directly to the sole. (Nike/File)
Coming this March to stores everywhere is the Nike Air VaporMax, a shoe nearly a decade in the making.
Nike first hit the shelves in the 1970s when they were simply athletic shoes marketed toward runners. But since the release of Nike Airs in 1987, they’ve become status symbols. Priced at nearly US$200, the VaporMax is no different.
What makes the VaporMax stand out, though, is its build. Nike has chosen to eliminate the foam midsole and instead attach the upper -- the material that wraps around the foot -- directly to the sole.
Read also: Nike unveils its first self-lacing sneaker
According to a report by WWD, this “makes the shoe more lightweight and flexible, while maintaining durability, which is crucial in building a shoe that maintains air pressure.”
The soles will be made in one of the always-open Nike Air manufacturing innovation centers. But before this, while designing and testing the shoe, Nike used 3-D modeling and simulations to find potential problem areas.
John Hoke, vice president of Nike Global Design, called the new design an “inflection point.”
“Data-enriched design is here, but data doesn’t dream; we do,” said Hoke before also hinting at personalization as a key focus of the company in the future. (sul/kes)
