The History of the Nike Air Max 1

Did you know that the Nike Air Max 1 was inspired by the design of a popular watch? Accutron watches were famous for their unique designs as well as technology and were even worn by some notable figures  including Joe DiMAgio and Elvis. The design they were known for was that the mechanisms of the watch could be seen from the outside. This had never been done before and led to a creative spark that spread across the design world.

Architects  Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers were some of the people influenced by the design and went on to create a building that echoed it. This building was the Centre Pompidou, and it featured all of its plumbing, electrical, and other mechanisms on the outside! While this building was considered an eyesore at first, it became known as iconic and even inspired other designers as well. 

 Tinker Hatfield was an architect who designed buildings for Nike, but switched to designing shoes for Nike in the 1980s. After being influenced by the strong designs of the Accutron Spaceview and the Centre Pompidou, Hatfield was inspired to design shoes that were similar in their style. From this idea came the Nike Air Max 1, a sneaker that showed their inner workings through a transparent window in their sole. This was the first sneaker to feature this design, and the Nike Air Max became a popular shoe throughout the decades.

Throughout the decades, a simple watch design led to the creation of some of the most iconic designs to date. To learn more about how the Accutron Spaceview influenced the creative movement, take a look at the infographic below:

A Gift That Inspired History

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