Shop Nike Air Max 97 Sneakers
What the Nike Air Max 97 Has to Do with Japanese Bullet Trains... Or Does It?!
The AM97 is made of a mixture of leather and a certain foam. Back in the '90s, this synthetic material was responsible for the fact that numerous professional runners used this shoe for their competitions. The special cushioning provided by the Air sole, in combination with the foam, gave the athletes much better support in the shoe.
There are many myths surrounding Christian Tresser's inspiration for this (then) unusual silhouette. It's clear that any sneaker fan will instantly recognise this silhouette, but where did the idea for this "silver bullet" come from?
Some sources claim that the dynamic silhouette was inspired by Japanese high-speed trains, also known as "Shinkansen" trains. It was obvious then to give the shoe a name as powerful as "Silver Bullet".
However, there are also pictures (also officially published by Nike) showing Tresser's sketches, on which a silver mountain bike can be seen. Apparently, the designer thought the silver metal frame of the bike was so cool that he then developed this world-famous silver mesh on the shoe. Yes, and "Silver Bullet" sounds much more powerful than "Silver Bike".
The 20th Birthday of the Nike Air Max 97
It is now 2017, and the AM97 is actually celebrating its 20th birthday. To celebrate, the OG colourway "Silver Bullet" has already been re-released at numerous retailers this year. In addition, we can look forward to numerous new colourways of the classic starting August, as well as a further development — the Nike Air Max 97 "Ultra".
Good to Know...
We have also summarised some interesting facts about the Air Max 97 and its history:
- The AM97 "Metallic Gold" was only the second colourway released after the "Silver Bullet" in early 1998.
- At launch, the AM97 cost around $150 and was the most expensive Air Max at the time. Nowadays, that's "no big price" for a sneaker, but back then, it was a lot of money for a shoe.
- The hidden laces were an innovation at the time and were first seen on the Air Max 97.
- There were slip-on Air Max 97s! It was a terrible idea that fortunately didn't catch on either. But the fact is that there was indeed such a release in 2001.
Previous Nike Air Max 97 Release Highlights
As mentioned before, the Nike Air Max 97 has a very long history. At this point, the icon has already celebrated its 20th birthday, and 2017 was one of, if not the, most successful year for the silhouette. We have seen numerous rather limited and popular releases and also some further developments of the classic. We have summarised a few highlights for you here
- August 2017 was the time for the "revival". Eleven new colourways were released this month, and the hype knew no bounds. "Triple Black, All White, Cobblestone... one colourway was more coveted than the other. And even the numerous restocks in the following weeks were always sold out.
- But August was also the time when a completely new evolution of the Air Max 97 was released. The Nike Air Max Ultra was released in 12 different colourways, including the OG "Silver Bullet" colourway. In this update, the silhouette was not touched, but instead Nike gave the model a completely new upper, which shines even more "metallic".
- As a result, many new colourways were dropped over the next few months. The next highlight, however, was a collab with a very special (hype) brand, which was none other than UNDEFEATED (UNDFTD). As expected, this hypebeast sold out in no time and fans now have to pay insanely high reseller prices on the net if they want to own this release.
- The last highlight was a few days before New Year's Eve 2017, when the Nike Air Max "Country Camo" Pack was dropped in four colours. The special thing about these four models was that the entire upper came in camouflage style. In addition, there were small patches in the form of country flags. Depending on the model, the Germany, France, United Kingdom, or Italy flag was added as a patch for the tongue.
As mentioned, 2017 was extremely successful for the old classic. We are curious to see whether 2018 will be just as successful. However, we strongly assume that another silhouette will make its grand appearance this year. After all, the Nike Air Max 98 is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. And we know by now how much Nike likes to celebrate anniversaries.
Nike Air Max 97 - the 25th Anniversary
A very special sneaker celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2022. This year the Nike Air Max 97 is already 25 years old, but fans of the silhouette have only seen a few new colourways.
There could be several reasons for this, as Nike celebrates its 50th anniversary in the same year and focuses on an extensive range when it comes to sneakers and apparel. Another reason for the limited selection could be the 40th anniversary of the Nike Air Force 1. The probably most popular classic from Beaverton has already appeared in several trendy versions.
However, we should not hang our heads, as we are only in the second quarter of the year. It's possible that the new Grails will only be released in the last months of 2022. You'll be the first to know here when the updates are online. With our Grailify app you will always be up to date.
Nike Air Max 97 Futura "Sail"
€100
Nike Air Max 97 Futura "Oil Green"
€98
Nike Air Max Terrascape 97 "Sail"
€129
Nike Air Max 97 "Just Do It - Obsidian"
€148
Nike Air Max 97 "USA"
€128
Nike Air Max 97 "Cow Print"
€110
Nike Air Max 97 SE "Pink Chenille"
€116
Nike Air Max 97 "Be True"
€103
Nike Air Max 97 "Athletic Department"
€106
Nike Air Max 97 "Icons"
€124
Nike Air Max 97 Yellow Tie-Dye
€122
Nike Air Max 97 SE "Flat Pewter"
€113
Nike Air Max 97 Kiss My Airs 2023
€189
Nike Air Max 97 WMNS Feel Love
€86
Nike Air Max 97 Cool Grey
€200
Nike Air Max 97 Moving Company
€124
Nike Air Max 97 Terrascape 'Wheat Gold'
€200
Nike Air Max 97 Gold Bullet 2023
€112
Nike Air Max 97 OG Silver Bullet 2022
€146
Nike Air Max 97 Medium Brown
€224
Nike Air Max 97 Washed Denim
€85
Nike Air Max 97 OG Atlantic Blue
€112
Nike Air Max 97 G NRG Zebra
€95
Nike Air Max 97 Sport Turbo
€128
Nike Air Max 97 Air Sprung
€227
Nike Air Max 97 Rock N Roll
€197
Nike Air Max 97 Purple Bullet
€166
Nike Air Max 97 First Use
€128
Nike Air Max 97 EOI
€110
UNDEFEATED x Nike Air Max 97 Sail
€141
Swarovski x Nike Air Max 97 G NRG
€200
Nike Air Max 97 Puerto Rico
€134
UNDEFEATED x Nike Air Max 97 Militia Green
€116
UNDEFEATED x Nike Air Max 97 Black Volt
€109
Nike Air Max 97 G NRG Lucky And Good
€263
Nike Air Max 97 Slime
€278
Nike Air Max 97 Pendleton By You
€220
Nike Air Max 97 G NRG Wing It
€351
Nike Air Max 97 G NRG Tie-Dye
€292
Nike Air Max 97 Worldwide Pack Black
€159
Nike Air Max 97 Worldwide Pack
€246
Nike Air Max 97 G Grass
€426
Nike Air Max 97 G Silver Bullet
€197
Nike Air Max 97 Newspaper
€395
Nike Air Max 97 Neon Seoul
€136
Nike Air Max 97 Throwback Future
€346
Nike Air Max 97 Game Royal
€155
Off-White x Nike Air Max 97 Black
€820