Nike Air VaporMax Flyknit 'Blue Orbit'
Colorway: Blue Orbit/Blue Orbit-Glacier Blue · Style code: 849558-402 · Release date: October 4, 2017 · Price: $349 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Nike Air VaporMax 'Asphalt' (849558-002) · Nike Air VaporMax 'Pure Platinum' (849558-004) · Nike Air VaporMax Sneakers (849558-005) · Nike Air VaporMax 'OG' (849558-006) · Nike Air VaporMax 'Triple Black' (849558-007)
For thirty years the Air Max formula was foam with air inside it. The unit sat encapsulated in a midsole that did most of the structural work, and each generation argued about how much of the unit to expose. The VaporMax discarded the premise: when it released in March 2017 it became the first shoe in the line with no midsole foam whatsoever, standing instead on a field of pressurised air pods that contact the ground directly and provide traction as well as cushioning.
The upper was rebuilt to match. A single piece of knit wraps the foot without a separate lining or stitched panels, held in place by Flywire cables that run from the lacing down toward the sole, so tightening the laces tightens the upper around the foot rather than pulling on a fixed eyestay.
This version is worked in an ocean blue throughout, with synthetic skin added over the knit for texture and fused swooshes rather than stitched ones. It is dated 4 October 2017 and listed at $190.