Nike Air Max 1 'USA'
Colorway: White/White/Deep Royal Blue · Style code: CJ9927-100 · Release date: May 15, 2019 · Price: $375 · 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)
Flag colours on a white base: that is the entire brief for the Air Max 1 'USA', and Nike kept it disciplined. The upper mixes smooth leather with tumbled leather, mesh and suede, all in white, so the red and blue only appear where they count. Red arrives as topstitching that traces the outline of the Swoosh, and again in the Air bubble showing through the heel of the midsole. Deep Royal Blue takes the remaining accents, and the outsole runs three tones to finish the flag reading from below. A padded collar rounds off the fit. The mix of leather grains gives the pair more texture than a standard white Air Max 1, which matters on a shoe this pale.
Nike released it on May 15, 2019 at $120, timed ahead of the Fourth of July. The 'USA' theme is not new to this silhouette: a flag-themed Air Max 1 first appeared in 2003, and this pair is the 2019 follow-up rather than a straight reissue. By keeping the upper white and letting stitching and the Air unit carry the colour, Nike made a patriotic release that wears well past the holiday it was built for. It suits anyone who wants the red, white and blue idea without a shoe that shouts it.