Nike Air VapoarMax Flyknit 3 'Aviator Grey'
Colorway: Grey · Style code: AJ6900-003 · Release date: May 23, 2019 · Price: $2827 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 3 'Moon Landing' (AJ6900-001) · Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 3 'Oreo' (AJ6900-002) · Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 3 'Triple Black' (AJ6900-004) · Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 3 'Barely Volt' (AJ6900-005) · Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 3 'Multi-Color' (AJ6900-006)
Air cushioning had always been a bag encased in foam. The VaporMax proposed removing the foam and letting the bag itself be the sole, with the pods contacting the ground directly. Nike has said the concept took around seven years of testing before it was durable enough to sell, and it reached retail in March 2017.
The result changes how the shoe feels underfoot (pressure spreads across the pods rather than through a slab), and it changes how it looks, since the entire sole is transparent.
The third Flyknit edition, released through 2019, revised the upper more than the sole: a ribbed knit pattern with reworked heat-applied overlays replaced the smoother construction of the second version. In aviator grey the knit and the sole sit close in tone, which flattens the usual contrast between the two halves of the shoe.