Nike Air Max 1 '87 Luxe 'University of Oregon' PE
Colorway: Light Orewood Brown/University Gold/White/Starfish · Style code: HQ2639-100 · Release date: March 30, 2024 · Price: $1895 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Nike Air Griffey Max 1 (JA1091-100) · Nike Air Griffey Max 1 (JA1136-100) · GS Nike Air Griffey Max 1 (IV6222-410) · PS Nike Air Max 1 EasyOn (DZ3308-106) · Nike Air Griffey Max 1 (IV6299-410)
Priced at $350, this leather Air Max 1 belongs to Nike's '87 line, the 2023 to 2024 label for retro-styled Air Max 1s named after the model's 1987 launch year. The upper pairs an off-white Light Orewood Brown base with University Gold, white accents and a Starfish orange hit, and the title carries a PE tag. Its name points to the University of Oregon, which has a direct line to the shoe itself: Tinker Hatfield, who designed the Air Max 1, trained there as an architect. He joined Nike in 1981 to design buildings and stores, moved to footwear only in 1985, and turned that architectural eye into Nike's first visible Air unit.
Release came on March 30, 2024. The upper is leather throughout, a step up from the mesh-and-synthetic mix of the late-1980s original, and the classic visible Max Air window sits in the heel of the midsole as it does on every '87 pair. Gold and off-white leather make it a warmer, dressier take than the grey-and-red readings most people picture when they hear the model's name, and the $350 price places it far above a standard Air Max 1. For collectors who track Oregon-linked Nike releases, or who want the Hatfield back-story built into the colourway, this is the pair to chase.