Nike’s Air Works program gathers designers from around the world to co-create the future of Air Max

Nike Sportswear is gathering a new generation of designers from across the world to create the future of Air Max through the inaugural Air Works research, development and design program. Gathering at Nike’s Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, Oregon, the visiting Air Works designers will work alongside Nike mentors to inspire new cultural expressions of Air Max that build on the brand’s 40-year heritage of Air innovation.

“Air Works is about celebrating the cultural impact of Air Max and inviting a core group of global creatives to imagine what its future could look like,” says Andy Caine, VP, Creative Director, Nike Sportswear. “It’s also a chance to deliver a deep dive in Air Max history, innovation and inspiration, and to unite outside perspectives with Nike-only tools, talent and capabilities to redefine what Air Max means to this generation.”

The first Air Works program, held May 11 through May 14, will bring individual designers from Beijing, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo to Nike’s headquarters, where they’ll work with Nike designers and engineers to develop distinctive 3D-printed Air Max styles, created in partnership with Zellerfeld, that reflect their individualism and celebrate their communities from around the world.

The visiting Air Works designers’ creations will be informed by hands-on collaboration with their Nike mentors and external collaborators, as well as visits to Nike’s Air Manufacturing Innovation facility, the Department of Nike Archives, the Nike Sport Research Lab, Blue Ribbon Studio and the Bowerman Footwear Lab.

Following the inaugural Air Works program, each local designer will launch a limited-run, friends and family version of their shoe to be celebrated within their community throughout the coming year, leading into Air Max Day 2027.