The Nike Air Max III and the mystery behind the original colorway (continues) - with insights from David aka @lemon_diesel

Usually, we don’t go into GOAT talks that much; sure, you have your sports icons, runner-ups, and ever-trailing not-so’s, but if you keep it real for a second, who cares if you just want to enjoy history being made. Past, present, or future. Where do you start and where end when you talk about one of the greatest ever to do it? In this case, the case of the original Nike Air Max III, aka Nike Air Max 90, it comes from within, the technology, culture, and the era that fueled the Air Max. We linked up with David, aka Lemon Diesel to talk about the story of the “Infrared 90s” (and get some rare images), trust us, if you ask around who to talk to when it comes to the retro runner, the reputation of the Seattle-based Air Max collector is close to none.

David - “I have a not so average love for shoes—specifically, Air Max. I live in Seattle and have been a big fan of Air Max since I was young. As a kid, I used to go with my parents to the mall and would always love looking in the shoe stores. So many of my favorite athletes were featured on posters and advertisements all over the place. Once I was able to start making my own money, buying shoes became a thing. My Mom used to drop me off at the mall to buy shoes in the morning as a teenager even though I would be missing school (if it was a weekday release) as long as I promised to go to school after once I got my shoes, which I did… for the most part. Buying shoes in the mid-late 90’s sure was different than it is today.”*

Celebrating 30 years of Air Max 90, it comes without saying that Nike had to turn to their never-ending vault to give us the OG colorway (later called “Infrared”) back. And when we say OG, its with unmatched dedication to detail, from original tooling, soft, durable synthetic leather and shimmering nylon, OG box and an accompanying throwback hang tag. Back in the ‘80s times were changing fast, technology was catching up, art and design were no longer an elite-only members club, and running became jogging, an exercise that called for looks the same way as it was for techy-features. Initially introduced to Phil Knight in 1977 by aerospace engineer Marion Franklin Rudy (seen on the right/below) image , an air-cushioned prototype was about to make its limited-edition debut (yes, you heard that right) featured in the Nike Air Tailwind in 1978. 24 hours later, six Hawaiian running stores marked the shelve as sold-out, and Honolulu Marathon was about to get “Aired.” The ‘80s came around and Air became a statement, quickly transcending its purpose of performance running.

*"Nike has always stood out to me. The designs, colors, and overall look of specific pairs throughout my childhood stuck early on. Even as a kid, vibrant colors and designs really attracted me. They also helped to see my favorite athletes of the time fitted from head to toe in the swoosh. As a kid, most of us wanted to be someone; for me, it would sway between numerous athletes I really enjoyed watching playing their sport. All of these athletes were always wearing Nike, so it was easy to adopt. The different displays in the shops and the ads they played on tv would always shows these athletes or specific shoes/gear that made you remember. If you were around at this time, then you recall, if not a lot of these commercials are on YouTube and I suggest taking a look. I am captivated by their ability to reinvent themselves over and over again." *

With the introduction of visible Air inspired by the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Tinker Hatfield-designed first Air Max from 1987 (aka Air Max 1) showed a sneaker silhouette's insides, just like the multi-complex building in Paris. The Air Max 1 revolutionized footwear design, followed up by an obscure and almost forgotten silhouette called Air Walker Max in 1988, and the better-known Air Max Light in 1989; it eventually continued with the Air Max 90, which can be seen as the true evolution of Nike's portfolio, nourishing the Swoosh with extra needed Mojo. Always something of a style icon, the Nike Air Max 90, while rooted in running, felt the appreciation from "outsiders" (e.g., non-runners) and one colorway especially, the "Hyvent Orange" or "Hyvent Red," which later on became the infamous "Infrared." But on that, later more. Tinker was tasked to bring his success from the Air Jordan series over to Nike's running sector, an almost impossible seeming job, with apparent bumps between 1988 and 1989, but with the introduction of the Air Max 90, a striking addition was added to the line. Constructed with an enhanced Air bubble, sturdy but breathable Duromesh, Air Max Light-like elements such as eyelets or a similar nylon tongue, and striking colorways, comfort was key, but looks couldn't be denied. Packed and wrapped in the same box as the first Air Max iteration from three years earlier, the striking red box with diagonal grey pattern added to the appetite of the new-found fitness-boom runners with a certain taste for futuristic style.

"Air Max are one of those shoes that you can wear every day. Since the mid-90s, I have been buying Air Max with money from odd jobs in the neighborhood to even working for my Dad on the weekends at his job. I can remember him giving me a hard time for spending so much money on shoes at that age when most kids were just out playing with friends. This continued through middle school and high school, just the same. The full-length bubbles of the late 90’s Air Max 97, 98, and 98tls, I think, are really what started to drive the passion even more. I wore a number of these pairs to the ground and even still have some of them to this day. The full-length bubbles were different, more comfortable, and great for regular wear. When shoe forums became a thing naturally, I moved over there to start being able to share and relate with others who were also passionate about the same stuff. I joined Team AMFam on NikeTalk, and it just keeps going. Which by the way, shout out to my OG triple OG AMFam dudes; our NikeTalk thread is historic, as well as our IG chat group. At this point, most of us are old and grumpy and just complain about shape and materials, but secretly we still buy the shoes. I think that is one of the fun parts of being around for a while, seeing the transition of materials and how the products change over the years. It is nice to see that Nike is making a valid effort to listen and create something similar to the original. We have been asking for this for years."

Despite its hard to catch story, the infamous Infrared colorway is something else, and the timeline of when and what has blurred over the years. Understanding regional releases, color codes, and the nature of change has created some kind of myth when the first Nike Air Max 90 “Infrared” has been released. Since its inaugural release in 1990, many have referred to the original Air Max 90 colorway as “Infrared,” and while we can acknowledge the analogy, the color code #FF2247, aka Infrared, has not been the one in 1990. This makes the 2020 Air Max III release quite the historical piece, as we finally can say that the original colorway is back.

__"I remember as a kid in the early 90’s being at work with my Mom (who worked at a rec center all my life) and seeing this pair of neon shoes on this one regular who would come in for open gym and play basketball. He would come in, switch out of this wildly vibrant pair of shoes and switch into his basketball shoes which also had a similar color on them. He would play for a while and switch back and leave. He finally noticed that I was there all the time and eventually asked me to watch his stuff while he played. I agreed and after that first game, I told him his shoes were cool. He looked at me and said thanks, and then realized I was talking about the running shoes and not the basketball shoes he was changing out of. He quickly said “these?” and I can remember the puzzled look on his face to this day." __

"It is very easy to tell that the team at Nike really tried to recreate as close as possible a good comparison. I think their effort can be shown. I have already had many people message me and say the new one’s material is soft and somewhat flimsy, well guess what so was the original. Nike used the shoe size placement on the inner ankle area and the same inner tongue tag which was a great touch. The overall shape/proportion is very nice compared to many of the past releases, but the pics I have seen floating around also look to be on point. This was a big ask over the years from previous releases and I believe it was heard. The hang tag addition is semi standard these days, but the addition of the original booklet was a cool touch, although it is missing 2 pages from the original. The pages left out were non Air Max specific so I totally get it. Someone told me the toe box on the new release also looked wide, this is the same shape of the original and comparing them both, the original still even is a little wider. One of the features that I liked to see was the addition of the canvas piece beneath the insole. All of the original colorway recraft pairs got this addition, and while it does nothing on the recraft it was a cool add on to match the original. One thing that was noticed by a fellow AMFAM member was the Swoosh on the heel tab and how it fails to fill the entire cutout, well upon checking the original, guess what, same thing so kudos to the team for really catching all these little things. The color still is the one area tough to recreate, as chemical composition of paint is probably a lot different from back then, and honestly probably toxic. With the shoes being 30 years old now it is probably tough to make it exact hue and each pair more than likely has aged differently. The shoe box remake is nice, and nice to see they actually gave some room for the shoes to not be crammed in like the original box from 1990. Overall, I am quite happy with the pairs I have received thus far. Thanks again to the team at Nike for making these changes for the better."