THE OFFICIAL AIR MAX 1 THREAD

should i grab a psychic pink from end, will they ship to us and will it be aight?
Yea I buy from End all the time. I bought my pinks from there and I have the blue/pink pair on the way now. They ship pretty quick, normally have them in 4-5 days. Keep in mind that UK doesn't have women's sizing, so even though it's a women's shoe, a uk9 is a uk men's 9 which is a us mens 10.
 
Fozz Fozz

can still find both those for under retail if you do some searching and find discount codes.

I may be in the minority but I’m happy that we’re headed into March w/basically zero air max hype for once in the last 4/5yrs.

maybe Nike decided to give up on the AMD gimmick, doubtful but who knows. Seems awful quite for it being just a few wks away.
 
Yea I buy from End all the time. I bought my pinks from there and I have the blue/pink pair on the way now. They ship pretty quick, normally have them in 4-5 days. Keep in mind that UK doesn't have women's sizing, so even though it's a women's shoe, a uk9 is a uk men's 9 which is a us mens 10.
ok thanks really appreciate it!
 
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ok quick questin, being from the us air max culture seems to be dwindling. Whats it like in the uk besides the london/grime scene? is it like a whole english vibe or what?

I think air max culture has permeated through youth culture in the UK and have become a staple across generations. I think different groups tend to have their shoe of choice. From my limited generalised anecdotal evidence living in Brixton I would say "roadmen" traditionally go for all black kicks -mostly 95s/TNs' but are now diversifying into vapourmaxs. The estate kids tend to rock 90s but do rock anything you can get from JD which can range from pretty much any model other than the AM1 which until recently wasn't available at that retailer. You have the casuals who cop whatever is hype at the time but rarely see them wear anything they cop and have very little attachment to any model in particular. Then you have the connoisseurs who tend have AM1s as their base but have an appreciation for all models. They cop and wear stuff from the most widely available GRs to super limited collabs that some diehard collectors haven't seen or heard of.
 
being from the us air max culture seems to be dwindling
lol i have never heard of US air max culture before, air max culture is originated from europe and got spreaded by the house/rave and hip hop street (gang) culture amongst the teenagers and young adults in the early 90s when the AM Classic BW took over the streets from europe
 
lol i have never heard of US air max culture before, air max culture is originated from europe and got spreaded by the house/rave and hip hop street (gang) culture amongst the teenagers and young adults in the early 90s when the AM Classic BW took over the streets from europe

This is on point - The culture in the states has its roots in basketball, hence Jordans etc. The fact models like the AML rarely release in the states is a good example.. Also most AM collabs are EU, Patta etc (bar Eminem and a few others). The Asia connect is also related to the rave scene, Japanese kids were dancing in DMs etc before they realised BWs were more suited to raves and the models took off over there and led years later to Atmos collabs and an infatuation with 95s etc.
 
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Well air maxes use to release alot in the US the air max 1 in the US was called air max 87, but shoes like chuck taylors, nike cortez, Adidas superstars and timberlands were the preferred shoes for people in the streets. Air maxes were big in US during 90's, its just other shoes got more spot light

Also air max roots are from turf training type shoes like griffey and diamond turfs, not Jordan's the Jordan culture took off in 99 2000 with the every month retro release people had been into air maxes for years by then
 
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IMO the US has never had a "culture" in the sense of being able to identify ones origin or crowd by what sneakers they choose to wear. sneaker "culture" started here in the US. if you iD being into sneakers as being a "culture", you have to definitely place it hand in hand with hip hop culture. before hip hop, there was no wearing sneakers for fashion. hip hop culture in sneaker fashion also goes hand in hand with NBA culture as MAIN INGREDIENT MAIN INGREDIENT stated above...with roots in the puma clyde, converse all stars (chucks) and that sneaker Dr. J used to wear, adidas shell toes as well as others. once MJ hit the scene, hip hop/street culture and the NBA laid the foundation for everything we see today. air max and other sneakers that came along later were just added to everything in the late 80s.

i only put "culture" in quotes because while i believe that sneakers is a culture, i have heard others state that they dont believe that it is...most notably dblplay1212 dblplay1212 its a great topic for discussion and i def see why some dont consider it a culture at all.

the above is just IMO. if anyone agrees or disagrees, its ok to do so respectfully.
 
i was a gang member OG now so its the past but i was part of the street gang culture in the 90's and i live in the heart of the midwest and hip hop wasn't big in my area so shoes got label by the street life. examples

pimps had stacey adams, penny loafers etc

gang bangers and hustlers were in cortez(dopemans), chuck taylors, timberlands etc then everyone got into griffeys, deon Sanders, fila hills, air max 87, air max bw later air max plus in the 90's
 
IMO the US has never had a "culture" in the sense of being able to identify ones origin or crowd by what sneakers they choose to wear. sneaker "culture" started here in the US. if you iD being into sneakers as being a "culture", you have to definitely place it hand in hand with hip hop culture. before hip hop, there was no wearing sneakers for fashion. hip hop culture in sneaker fashion also goes hand in hand with NBA culture as MAIN INGREDIENT MAIN INGREDIENT stated above...with roots in the puma clyde, converse all stars (chucks) and that sneaker Dr. J used to wear, adidas shell toes as well as others. once MJ hit the scene, hip hop/street culture and the NBA laid the foundation for everything we see today. air max and other sneakers that came along later were just added to everything in the late 80s.

i only put "culture" in quotes because while i believe that sneakers is a culture, i have heard others state that they dont believe that it is...most notably dblplay1212 dblplay1212 its a great topic for discussion and i def see why some dont consider it a culture at all.

the above is just IMO. if anyone agrees or disagrees, its ok to do so respectfully.
I am going to disrespectfully agree with you on this
 
A brief history of the UK scene from my limited personal experience/knowledge from 80s to the late 90s....

In the early 80s the staple shoe was the Reebok classic but through the influence of the beginnings of hiphop culture specifically break dancing in the UK you saw the Puma Clydes and Superstars being worn more on casual basis. Later in the mid 80s when MJ's international influence grew this caused basketball shoes to become popular here. Sporadically you see kids wearing the Air Jordan 1 and the Air Force 1 amongst the traditional shoes.

When the Air max 1 dropped it was a popular shoe but didn't really achieve cult like status. As kids the majority of us were just amazed by the visible air unit and that you could see through your shoes. I remember my parents bought me some hi-tecs with a solid piece of transparent plastic instead of an air bubble. Lol

I would argue that the Air max model that kind of really set it off here was the Air Max 90. The Air Max 90 had strong connection to the rave culture in the UK especially house, acid house and gay clubbing culture. I think at one point each of these group co opted it as the footwear of choice. This shoe was especially popular in the large cities in north of England (manchester, newcastle etc) which were some of the epicenters of rave culture. Side note....Charlie Hunnam from Sons of Anarchy originally from Newcastle revealed in a GQ interview that he had a large collection of AM90s which he had to trim down to 45 pairs.

In the early 90s there was a real mix in terms of sneaker popularity as basketball really had started to take hold over here with a weekly basketball show on ITV (one of four channels available at the time) before WCW reruns. So many of us kids would lust after the new jordan models we would see on screen while older kids rock 180s, BWs and 93s. The BW and 180 were probably the most popular of the three in my area although anything with a air bubble was good. We spent most of our playtimes checking the authenticity of each others shoes by squeezing air bubbles as if we were wine connoisseurs sipping fine wine.

From what I recall things changed again with the Air max 95. They seemed like a model that was loved by all (although I personally didn't like them until about 6 months ago) and the pinnacle of the Air Max line here. I remember seeing so many of my friends on a Saturday after shopping with our parents in Brixton sitting in Cobra Sports looking with desire at the various colourways. As a shoe in terms of a silhouette it was so different to anything else that had been on the market. This was a shoe many of my generation were actually able to attain through saving so have a particularly strong sentimental value.

The 97 in the UK was popular but never was loved in the way many people have a love for it today. It never really attained the level of popularity that the 95 did and with a resurgence in more traditional shoes such as the Reebok classic and Nike Cortez they could often be had at a deep discount. I don't know whether it was the full length air bubble or the simplistic upper design but it didn't seem to connect as much at the time.

I think the only model in the uk that had a similar type of energy to the 95 in London was the Air Max Plus. When the Air Max Plus first dropped they cost £110 and as such called 110s or TNs (abbreviation for tuned air). This shoe in particular seemed odd in the sense that it seemed like one of the first shoes to be a crossover hit with sexes as both men and women loved the shoe for its colourful gradient uppers. I feel as though this was probably the last original air max until the vapourmax as far I can remember that have caught the interest of sneakerheads and casuals alike.
 
Just to add a couple of things....The air max plus or TNs were also quite heavily associated with the garage music where often you would find men and women wearing 110s to raves such as garage nation.

For anyone wanting to know a little bit more about the British youth culture there is a great series called "This is England" which started as a film but became a series with the same cast. It begins with the skinhead movement of the 70s and early 80s, moves through 80s new wave up to the rare culture of the 90s. It may not be for everyone but it is classic British television.
 
IMO the US has never had a "culture" in the sense of being able to identify ones origin or crowd by what sneakers they choose to wear. sneaker "culture" started here in the US. if you iD being into sneakers as being a "culture", you have to definitely place it hand in hand with hip hop culture. before hip hop, there was no wearing sneakers for fashion. hip hop culture in sneaker fashion also goes hand in hand with NBA culture as MAIN INGREDIENT MAIN INGREDIENT stated above...with roots in the puma clyde, converse all stars (chucks) and that sneaker Dr. J used to wear, adidas shell toes as well as others. once MJ hit the scene, hip hop/street culture and the NBA laid the foundation for everything we see today. air max and other sneakers that came along later were just added to everything in the late 80s.

i only put "culture" in quotes because while i believe that sneakers is a culture, i have heard others state that they dont believe that it is...most notably dblplay1212 dblplay1212 its a great topic for discussion and i def see why some dont consider it a culture at all.

the above is just IMO. if anyone agrees or disagrees, its ok to do so respectfully.

personally i do think theres a culture. the fact that it dictates various aspects of our lives alone delineates that there is one. from what you wear thereafter, the circles you keep yourself among, even to how you feel emotionally and psychologically.

i think anyone stating there is none and they arent part of said culture is just on some hipster im holier than thou dont need to be part of a group because my mom told me i was special BS. chill your boobs dude, it aint that serious and you aint that important.

my man D is correct in that it started with hip hop. specifically, it started with BBOYs rocking superstars and puma clydes. if yall watched the doc just for kicks, the "culture" was very esoteric in small circles and didnt really blew up mainstream til run DMC "my addidas."
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Never really been my sport but it's undeniable how much influence basketball and skating has had bringing sneakers into the fashion industry.
Turf sports like Football never been able to have the same influence maybe because you can't wear that footwear casually.

Hard bias obviously- but AM1 OG red are up there with Rayban Wayfarers and Rolex Submariners. Will always be around because the design is legitimately timeless. To me they don't even look retro.
 
IMO the US has never had a "culture" in the sense of being able to identify ones origin or crowd by what sneakers they choose to wear. sneaker "culture" started here in the US. if you iD being into sneakers as being a "culture", you have to definitely place it hand in hand with hip hop culture. before hip hop, there was no wearing sneakers for fashion. hip hop culture in sneaker fashion also goes hand in hand with NBA culture as MAIN INGREDIENT MAIN INGREDIENT stated above...with roots in the puma clyde, converse all stars (chucks) and that sneaker Dr. J used to wear, adidas shell toes as well as others. once MJ hit the scene, hip hop/street culture and the NBA laid the foundation for everything we see today. air max and other sneakers that came along later were just added to everything in the late 80s.

i only put "culture" in quotes because while i believe that sneakers is a culture, i have heard others state that they dont believe that it is...most notably dblplay1212 dblplay1212 its a great topic for discussion and i def see why some dont consider it a culture at all.

the above is just IMO. if anyone agrees or disagrees, its ok to do so respectfully.
I view sneakers as an interest, not a culture. I mean look at all of the posts itt, "this group wore this and that group wore that." None of them say "the sneaker group did this" bc there is no sneaker culture. Sneakers are something that can define other groups. Skaters loves sb's. Hip hop guys love Jordans. EU kids love Air Max. What defines sneaker guys? Do we all hang out together? No. Are all of your friends sneaker guys? Probably not. A sneaker guy can be a hip hop fan from Queens or a country music fan from South Carolina. They have nothing else in common. Can you make friends bc of your sneaker interest? Sure. I make friends bc I like BBQ but that doesnt make BBQ a culture. Sneakers are an interest, not a culture.

For something to be a culture, there's more than 1 thing linking people. Hip hop guys mostly like the same music, dress similar, like the NBA, etc. Skate guys skate and wear similar brands. That's not the case with sneakers. The only thing linking "sneakers guys" is sneakers. That's an interest, not a culture.

I feel like those that desperately want it to be a "culture" are just looking for something to belong to bc their mom didnt tell them they were special so now they need to be a part of a group so they accepted and cool.
 
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AM1 OG red are up there with Rayban Wayfarers and Rolex Submariners. Will always be around because the design is legitimately timeless. To me they don't even look retro.

That's how I feel about AM1 - Timeless design, love Tinker's inspiration for it as well, can imagine him standing outside the Pompidou during the 80s thinking "what if", then executing one of the best silhouettes of all time.
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This 110%. If you want a more detailed read, track down Bobbito’s book “Where’d you get those?”
If it's the article I'm thinking of, he just talked about the collecting/addiction side of it, not the "culture" of it. Dudes write articles about collecting stamps, that doesn't make stamp collectors a culture. The spectrum of people that like sneakers is just too broad for it to be a culture imo. I view sneakers as an interest that some people from all cultures like, but not a culture in and of it itself.

Really not trying to go back and forth with it. If someone wants to feel they are a part of some culture, go for it. I just don't feel that need. I'm just a guy that likes sneakers. Nothing more.
 
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