My quintessential Air Max moment came right at the end of the month, when I was at the Nike Air Max day activation. I was joking about going on holiday next March and everyone around me laughed at the thought of being out of town on Air Max day. Taking a step back, this sounds completely crazy. Why on earth would I arrange any part of my life around a made up sneaker holiday?
There are three main reasons why…
Reason 1: Its gotta be the shoes
Every March I spend a significant portion of my non-work free time tracking down and buying the shoes I love. I save up because I know March is going to be the most expensive month of the year. By March 1, I have my sneaker targets in mind, know the release dates and plan accordingly. I love seeing what designers have done with my favourite model (the Air Max 1), I love seeing what Nike comes up with for a new model (the Air Max 270 this year) and I love seeing what surprises we have in store (I think the Vapor Max collabs qualify this year).
Can’t wait to wear these!
In 2018 I managed to get my hands on all three of my top picks for retail price. This is by far the most success I’ve ever had! I’m planning a blog post detailing how I get these wins shortly so that everyone can have the best chance possible to get them next year.
These turned out to be ridiculously popular
The response the the Air Max 270 has been surprising. I have never had so many DMs about how and where to get a sneaker! (thanks to Nike Toronto for my AM 270s).
Reason 2: Events, Activations and Swag
By the end of Air Max month, all the local boutiques and Foot Lockers are getting all dressed up to celebrate. I spent the Saturday before Air Max day taking a walk to check out all the displays. Usually, if you make friends and ask nicely, you can get your hands on some of the Air Max swag like pins or stickers or posters. Some cities this year got collectible cards (!!!) and patches. For someone who loves Air Max like I do, all this extra stuff just builds more excitement.
Major cities usually also have a bigger Nike Air Max event or two. Sometimes these are connected to local boutiques or they might be thrown by Nike themselves. Every city has a different vibe – a Maker event (this wasn’t in Toronto but I can’t wait to start voting for my favourite creation and planning how to buy it next year), a party with special releases, an art installation or some combination of all of those.
Comics inspired Air Max art from Hatecopy/Maria Qamar (courtesy of Nike Toronto)
Shopping for Nike Swag (courtesy of Nike Toronto)
Who let this guy in? (courtesy of Nike Toronto)
Air Max 270 inspired jewelry from Corey Moranis (courtesy of Nike Toronto)
Checking out work from Mike Sunday (courtesy of Nike Toronto)
Hallie Tut – Toronto multimedia artist (courtesy of Nike Toronto)
In Toronto, Nike had a cool activation featuring four local artists inspired by the Air Max 270. The artists showcased their creations alongside a 360 degree photo booth and a counter where you could buy Nike swag all priced at only $3.26. Check out the pics below because I can’t do the event justice by describing it!
Reason 3: The community
I talk about how the best part of being into sneakers is the community all the time. Its never been more apparent to me than this Air Max month. I talked to so many people about my Air Max (and their Air Max) on Instagram, at Sole Exchange, at Foot Locker, at local boutiques, in line to pick up shoes and at the Nike event. I got to see people wearing Air Max grails (old and new). Talking to other Air Max fans about their favourites and how they got them is something I could do for hours. I hope that I can spread some of my own excitement around the sneaker to others!
I wore Air Max all month and it was fun seeing other people do the same
I also hope Air Max month continues to get bigger and better each year. I love these shoes, I love the chance to celebrate them and I love connecting with o
You know, I wore a non-Air Max yesterday for the first time in 26 days because I felt like I needed a break. Guess what I have on my feet today? It was a short break.
Hype Less 