Celebrate A Quarter Century Of Air Max Plus With Nike’s “25th Anniversary” Release

Tuned Air celebrates 25 years of fame.

Sneaker News November 8th, 2023 (updated)

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UPDATE November 8th, 2023:
Nike Air Max Plus “25th Anniversary” is set to drop exclusively via Foot Locker on Thursday, November 9th.

The mismatched pair harkens back to the sneaker’s origins, which were heavily inspired by Florida’s gradient sunsets, palm trees, and ocean life. The “25th Anniversary” pair is part of a larger “Tuned Different” campaign that champions self-expression. Select Foot Locker locations in Miami and Los Angeles will host in-person events for fans of Sean McDowell’s Tuned Air design, but details have not been revealed as of this writing.

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Founded in 1998, the Air Max Plus marked a significant moment in the evolution of Air. From there on out, Nike focused less on volume and more on zonal cushioning, tuning specific portions of the Air Max unit to have distinct amounts of gas the best fit the athlete’s foot. Little did they know — the created a global footwear fashion phenomenon.

Designed by the legendary Sean McDowell, whose pen point has touched a number of all-time classics and revolutionary projects for the Swoosh, the Air Max Plus gained immediate popularity by the consumer market upon its debut in late 1998. Since then, it’s become a mainstay staple of big-box retailers and the curated assortments at sneaker boutiques.

Over the years, however, the Air Max Plus hasn’t been privy to collaborations like the Air Max 1 and 90. Despite that lack of spotlight, the Air Max Plus aka Air Max TN was still among the most popular shoes in the world.

Soon enough, Nike will properly recognize the silhouette’s quarter-century of influence via a uniquely designed colorway. Featuring a gradient that persists latitudinally across the shoe with a pattern mimicking crinkled paper, this Air Max Plus “Anniversary” transfers that signature pop of yellow from the TN logo onto the visible Air unit. A custom shoebox with graphics that detail the shoe’s journey adds another layer of history to the release. Perhaps, this release could be the start of new line of Air Max Plus “Anniversary” releases, much like how Nike did so with the Air Max 1.

A firm release date is unknown, but a drop before the end of the year is possible if Nike wants to stick to the 25th Anniversary intent. As it stands, full family sizes are expected.

In other Air Max news, the Patta Air Max Plus is dropping on October 17th.