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Over the weekend, ComplexCon, the annual convention of culture convened in Las Vegas. The heavily attended show saw a tremendous presence from Nike with a first ever CactusCon, a Travis Scott themed space, launch of Lil Yachty’s Concrete Boys Air Force 1, appearance by Nike athlete and NBA’s biggest sneaker head PJ Tucker, and an interactive space to showcase the Air Max 1000.
For well over a year there has been plenty of less than favorable press about Nike’s lack of innovation compared to the standard they set for the competitive footwear industry. But in form true to their brand they “listened to the athlete” and have put innovation projects into motion.
Nike illustrated why it rightfully earned the reputation as an innovator in footwear design with the launch of the Air Max 1000, a 3D-printed sneaker developed in collaboration with German tech startup Zellerfeld. The Air Max 1000 combines cutting-edge 3D printing technology with Nike’s iconic design ethos, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in footwear manufacturing.
But when it came to presenting the Air Max 1000, it was evident that the “what” wasn’t nearly as important to the Nike team than the “how” and “why.”
After waiting in line, one walked through a red portal taking you into the space that took you on a journey. The first room was essentially a museum of the history of Air. Archival pieces from Nike’s DNA archives were on display under glass of some of the very first air units developed by inventor Frank Rudy along with his original sketches. Nike even took it up a notch further in the showcasing the significance of the invention of Air to include Frank Rudy’s work desk where he designed the technology that forever changed footwear history.
Also in this room was a history lesson of when Nike Air was first put on display for all to see with the Nike Air Max 1 including words and drawings from legendary designer Tinker Hatfield.
The next room took one through concept to finished product of the Nike Air Max 1000 complete with early sketches, renderings, rough prototypes, and partially printed versions of the shoes to show how the show was built from the inside out. And just like the Air Max 1 pulled back the curtain for all to see Nike Air, Nike and Zellerfeld gave attendees an intimate view of the manufacturing process with several printers working away making pair of the Air Max 1000 before their very eyes.
On the final stop of the journey, Nike brought the Vegas theme to the space with interactive displays that simulated slot-machines where the right spin could win you a pair of the Nike Air Max 1000s.
Through interactive storytelling of the history of their iconic designs and shoes, Nike made a moment for innovation and showed the market what’s to come.
