Nike Air Max 97 "M. Frank Rudy" Celebrates the Creator of Nike Air Cushioning
A NASA engineer who changed the footwear industry forever.
While many may be familiar with Tinker Hatfield, the legendary designer behind the Air Max 1, not many people know about Marion Frank Rudy, the NASA engineer who first approached Nike founder Phil Knight in 1978 with the novel idea of adding an air cushion — which would come to be known as the Air Unit — to the midsole of sneakers. Fast-forward to today, the Air Unit is a defining feature of many of Nike’s most iconic sneakers. To commemorate the man behind the invention, Nike is introducing a range of Air Max sneakers in his namesake starting with the Air Max 97.
The upcoming Nike Air Max 97 “M. Frank Rudy” features white tonal mesh and leather uppers with a wrap-around light grey suede mudguard. A translucent cutout piece is fixed on the laterals and additional details include blueprint-graphic midsoles and California “Nike Air” license plate hangtags. Rounding out the design are full-length Air Units with “Est. 1997” print and wax yellow semi-translucent outsoles.
Take an official look at the Nike Air Max 97 “M. Frank Rudy” above and look for the pairs to release in the coming weeks on Nike’s website and at select retailers.
Elsewhere in footwear, ASICS introduces new “ACTIBREEZE 3D” slides.
