Nike Air Max 180 ”HYPER PINK”

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a true free spirit was released, breezing through the streets of the freshly united Berlin, a new wave of electronic music irrupted, and provided the narrative for a whole generation that was just trying to live a life without dead-end streets. Brick by brick, or let’s say, kick by kick and base by base provided by a Japanese drum machine and hardware, techno music took the concrete jungle of Berlin by storm and has never left. Shaping a subculture without any truism, one of the most famous and legendary clubs opened in 1991, Tresor, providing the location for so many desires, while at the other side of the pond, up in Oregon a legendary sneaker made its debut, the Nike Air Max 180. Designed by Bruce Kilgore and Tinker Hatfield, the “180s” took on a strong legacy after the release of the Air Max 1 and Air Max 90 and, while staying comparably underground to its two predecessors, the Nike Air Max 180 made its cultural legacy apart from the mainstream. Glued to the floor through its 180-degree Air bubble, and its streamlined look, the iconic Nike Air Max 180 was the right choice by Nike to pay homage to the world-famous underground electronic music scene in Berlin. Off the grid but classy, often overlooked by bigger gigs but with a strong and loyal fanbase, which cultivated to be a subcultural statement welcoming everyone, Nike’s tribute to Berlin Techno City, as one of the co-creators Adam Port dubbed his home, is just the right fit at the right time - from 1991 till infinity.

Photography by Oliver Kristen

Available exclusively at Sneakersnstuff Berlin on a first come, first serve basis on the 26th of March.