Undefeated x Nike Air Max 90 'Platinum Tint'
Colorway: Platinum Tint/Platinum Tint/Sail · Style code: CQ2289-001 · Release date: March 26, 2020 · Price: $375 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Undefeated x Nike Air Max 90 'Anthracite' (CQ2289-002) · Nike Undefeated x Nike Air Max 90 'Pacific Blue' (CQ2289-400) · Nike Air Max 95 x UNDEFEATED (IB4453-100) · Nike x Undefeated Kobe Tee 'Black' (CU0435-010) · Undefeated x Nike Blazer Mid SB (864349-308)
Undefeated's second phase of work on the Air Max 90 followed the darker pairs the Los Angeles label put out at the end of 2019. The palette goes almost entirely pale: Platinum Tint over the body, Sail underneath, with the tonal treatment removing nearly all the contrast the silhouette usually relies on. The materials do the talking instead. A chenille Swoosh sits across the white leather mid-panel, tonal woven mesh appears at the toe, collar and heel, and translucent eyestays replace the solid ones. Rawhide-style leather overlays give the upper a raw finish rather than a polished one.
Nike and Undefeated released it on 26 March 2020 at $150, $30 to $40 above a general-release 90 of the same period. The pairing makes sense on paper: Undefeated built its reputation on military and sport references, and the 90 is a running shoe whose original appeal was engineering made visible. Stripping the colour out and pushing the textures forward is a consistent way to read it.