Air Max Accelerator

Insight

The first Air Max was an innovation the sneaker industry had never before seen. But to Gen Z Air Max stood for fashion more than its cutting edge roots.

To this generation, innovation is more than product - it’s the creativity in their minds waiting to be realised. So to relaunch the spirit of Air Max, Nike empowered their creation.

Idea

Helping the next generation of Air to lift off.

Air Max Accelerator is a global program that turns ideas into reality and provides the required tools to succeed – including support, mentorship and an international stage. Joining the first class are three women – Dear Giana, Maremoto and Christyna Pourhabib – who each work with communities to imagine a more inclusive future of sneaker culture.

Following the launch film on Air Max Day, Nike shared the creative processes of each woman’s initiative with the world. Self-shot documentation was edited into three episodes, telling stories from notebook ideas to virtual meetups with dream mentors, and finished projects that are ready to fly.

Impact

Just the beginning for Air Max Accelerator.

The first class has already started to make waves through communities.

Dear Giana’s initiative, ‘Young Air’, uses creativity to keep children’s morale high during the Covid-19 lockdowns; Maremoto’s ‘Step Out of the Rulebook’ project turns vulnerability into strength within the LGBTQ+ community, and Christyna Pourhabib’s ‘The Next Pair’ idea shines a light on the BIPOC women who are paving the way for sneaker culture.