THE OFFICIAL AIR MAX 1 THREAD

44 here. Back in junior high/high school, I was on the track & cross country teams, and my go-to shoes were usually some kind of Air Pegasus. I liked them fine (even though I chewed through 'em pretty quickly, iirc) - but what I really wanted was a pair of AM1s. I don't remember the details of pricing at the time, but apparently AM1s were more expensive than the Pegasus - enough of a difference such that my mom didn't want to pay for them. So, I stuck with the Pegasus.

Fast forward thirty-ish years. AM1 completely fell off my radar for a few decades, and then (relatively recently) I got into sneakers again. Just last year, I realized AM1s are still out there. It was a eureka moment - I no longer have to ask my mom! Started with a pair of Currys, and now I have 8 pairs of AM1 - which, I realize, is nothing compared to most of the NTers in here. But the 14-year old inside me is ecstatic about those purchases.
 
duke40 said:
45 here and been a sneaker head since 1985 when mom bought me the silver nylon Vandals for $20 at a mom and pop. Believe it or not, my first pair of AM1 was bought this year - the curry retro bought at Marshall’s for $45. I was always into the latest performance and now that I’m ending my basketball days I’m going back and grabbing all the Reebok classics and Nike runners I ignored.
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Maaaaan that's the truth, hoop days dwindling ( these knees man) lol...doing almost strictly runners for a couple years

Thought I was the oldest out here (42)

Glad to see the old heads reppin

Started my am1 love thing back on the og release with the whole revolution campaign. Didnt end up with those tho, or the 3's.....pops sent me the white grey black revolutions instead (forget that running stuff Doc get yo *** on that court lol)
 
Bacon and Eggs NikeId AM1. I have been meaning to post this since I picked them up. Inspiration came from another poster on this thread(can’t remember name) who posted some of their own designs.

05D433B9-7838-49DC-825C-9E45427224A0.jpeg
 
NipseyRustle said:
Always funny when 23 year old sneaker know it all tries to tell you what the OGs of a sneaker was like...when you were there to see it first hand.
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Yeah, too true... can't count the amount of times I've had young fellas hitting me with "I've been in this game a long time so..." and stuff like that. Good fun.
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WARNING: Long Post Upcoming
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On a different note, when did you older guys (like me) first feel like you were experiencing an actual 'sneaker community' or 'sneaker subculture' separate from from whatever subculture you may have been into (hip hop, skate... etc.)? For me personally, I've been a hip hop head since the mid-80s, so sneakers was simply part of being fresh. Always trying to have the flyest kicks in your neighborhood (and most importantly, flyer than your friends). The love for sneakers wasn't really an isolated thing, but simply part of the overall style that went hand in hand with our culture. Seeing 45south 45south posting above about wanting a pair from that BDP picture is exactly how I/we used to be as well. My love for Air Flights because got started because of EPMD (and the "Unfinished Business" cover). It wasn't even really because I at the time felt like those shoes were the most amazing, but because I really like EPMD, so by proxy, you know (I was fairly young, of course). Growing up in Denmark, we used to reference sneakers in terms of being "hemmelige" which directly translated means "secret". It basically implies the same meaning as "rarity", which was to have stuff no one else had or even knew how to get. I remember in the late 80s into the early 90s, everything (it seemed) was about Jordans. Don't get me wrong, I love Jordans, but they felt a bit like what everyone was rocking. During the 90-91 NBA Season (may have been in playoffs), Pippen was wearing some all red nubuck Air Flights. Just for a game or two, I think. Then during that summer, I was in Cannes, France with my girlfriend (and her family), and to my complete surprise, I saw those red Flights in some small shoe shop. I was mind-blown. I didn't have money for them, of course, but I used all the money I had (which was intended for the trip) and borrowed the rest from my girl friend, so I could have them. Wasn't able to buy as much as an ice cream cone the rest of the vacation, but I didn't care. I was invincible with those red flights. Anyway, I could go on like that forever. Back to my original question - so when was there a feeling of this "sneaker thing" being a thing? For me, it wasn't really till 10-15 years ago, maybe? I remember when the internet started getting going in the late 90s and things would start popping up. Even NT (not sure what year I first discovered it), but I would just check out stuff and not really get involved, per say. Lurking, I suppose. Anyone remember Customatix? Wow, that blew my mind... my first experience with the concept of being able to make custom sneakers. I made 2 pairs from there in their runner silhouette (I SO wish I still had them). Probably made those in 2000-2001, I'd guess. At the time I was working as an Art Director in an advertising company (I had moved to the US in 1999), so I was made aware of Customatix via a website job of a friend in that industry. Then, when some years later bigger brands started offering customized shoes (I feel like Vans was first, but I could be wrong), I was just loving it. Having gone all those years (since the mid/late 80s) trying to have the most "hemmelige" sneakers, and now you could straight up make a pair nobody else would have. Heaven. Oddly, although I was mainly into basketball shoes still, I made a couple of pairs of AM1 IDs back then (06 and 07). Perhaps because of the runners I had made from Customatix, or perhaps in part because I just never really loved AF1s (sorry to any AF1 lovers). If I remember correctly, those were the only two silhouettes available at the time in the ID program. Also, I had been into Vinyl Toys at that time and remember when the KidRobot AM1s came out. That probably created a whole new appreciation of the AM1 in my conscience. See... now I'm babbling again. Geez.
When did you guys first start experiencing the love for sneakers being an actual communal thing, isolated to some extend from whatever subculture you had been a part of?
 
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I'll soon be 25. My interest in sneakers sparked when I was around 9 years old playing NBA Live 2004 where you could pick your own sneakers. I'd google all the ones I wanted and just look at photos of them and read about them. Shout out to my pops, I got lebron's first signature AZG low in 4th grade. Had his next two signatures as well courtesy of the one pair per year rule. Starting buying and trading my own way into sneakers around 2008, 2009 using birthday money and just doing a lot of trades and adding cash or selling to buy something else.

Sorry for being born later than some of you, but take it from me that you'll be better off educating and sharing knowledge rather than dismissing younger folks as ignorant/hypebeasts/neckbeard fanboys/whatever you want to call them. It's just as easy for someone of my age or generation to turn that attitude around at a middle aged dude, but I think we're all better off finding common ground in sharing our experiences regardless of how long ago or how many there are.
 
Being a white kid who loved basketball in a small texas town (1600 people) Yo MTV Raps was my only window to the rap community. That said, I was a fan of Georgetown because they were the college of that 80’s era with Ewing then mourning then Iverson. I remember when they wore the grey/navy flights and I begged mom to get me to foot action to check them out. My first Jordan’s were the first Jordan’s. I wore Tim’s and overalls and bucket hats and starter jackets and related more to the “black” culture than heavy metal football of my town. I became aware of others like me when I went to college to play ball in 1992-1993. Fila was just blowing up and we all rocked them off court. A few years later I was a part of Nikepark, then Niketalk, and now I’m entrenched with weartesters.com. I thought I would “grow up” but I still love sneakers (just bought the Jordan 33 lows last weekend). Don’t think I’ll ever quit.
 
SUPER BLACK said:
Yeah, too true... can't count the amount of times I've had young fellas hitting me with "I've been in this game a long time so..." and stuff like that. Good fun.
—
WARNING: Long Post Upcoming
—
On a different note, when did you older guys (like me) first feel like you were experiencing an actual 'sneaker community' or 'sneaker subculture' separate from from whatever subculture you may have been into (hip hop, skate... etc.)? For me personally, I've been a hip hop head since the mid-80s, so sneakers was simply part of being fresh. Always trying to have the flyest kicks in your neighborhood (and most importantly, flyer than your friends). The love for sneakers wasn't really an isolated thing, but simply part of the overall style that went hand in hand with our culture. Seeing 45south 45south posting above about wanting a pair from that BDP picture is exactly how I/we used to be as well. My love for Air Flights because got started because of EPMD (and the "Unfinished Business" cover). It wasn't even really because I at the time felt like those shoes were the most amazing, but because I really like EPMD, so by proxy, you know (I was fairly young, of course). Growing up in Denmark, we used to reference sneakers in terms of being "hemmelige" which directly translated means "secret". It basically implies the same meaning as "rarity", which was to have stuff no one else had or even knew how to get. I remember in the late 80s into the early 90s, everything (it seemed) was about Jordans. Don't get me wrong, I love Jordans, but they felt a bit like what everyone was rocking. During the 90-91 NBA Season (may have been in playoffs), Pippen was rocking some all red nubuck Air Flights. Just for a game or two, I think. Then during that summer, I was in Cannes, France with my girlfriend (and her family), and to my complete surprise, I saw those red Flights in some small shoe shop. I was mind-blown. I didn't have money for them, of course, but I used all the money I had (which was intended for the trip) and borrowed the rest from my girl friend, so I could have them. Wasn't able to buy as much as an ice cream cone the rest of the vacation, but I didn't care. I was invincible with those red flights. Anyway, I could go on like that forever. Back to my original question - so when was there a feeling of this "sneaker thing" being a thing? For me, it wasn't really till 10-15 years ago, maybe? I remember when the internet started getting going in the late 90s and things would start popping up. Even NT (not sure what year I first discovered it), but I would just check out stuff and not really get involved, per say. Lurking, I suppose. Anyone remember Customatix? Wow, that blew my mind... my first experience with the concept of being able to make custom sneakers. I made 2 pairs from there in their runner silhouette (I SO wish I still had them). Probably made those in 2000-2001, I'd guess. At the time I was working as an Art Director in an advertising company (I had moved to the US in 1999), so I was made aware of Customatix via a website job of a friend in that industry. Then, when some years later bigger brands started offering customized shoes (I feel like Vans was first, but I could be wrong), I was just loving it. Having gone all those years (since the mid/late 80s) trying to have the most "hemmelige" sneakers, and now you could straight up make a pair nobody else would have. Heaven. Oddly, although I was mainly into basketball shoes still, I made a couple of pairs of AM1 IDs back then (06 and 07). Perhaps because of the runners I had made from Customatix, or perhaps in part because I just never really loved AF1s (sorry to any AF1 lovers). If I remember correctly, those were the only two silhouettes available at the time in the ID program. Also, I had been into Vinyl Toys at that time and remember when the KidRobot AM1s came out. That probably created a whole new appreciation of the AM1 in my conscience. See... now I'm babbling again. Geez.
When did you guys first start experiencing the love for sneakers being an actual communal thing, isolated to some extend from whatever subculture you had been a part of?
Click to expand...

Good read! I know that in 06/07 Dunk lows were also on iD because I made an atrocious pair that were like brown suede and patent leather lime green....I have no clue what I was thinking. I think it was around 07 or little later where AM1 had alligator and crocodile, I had like 3 pair in my cart and never pulled the trigger unfortunately.

PS. did you keep the red flights? haha
 
singledout said:
Good read! I know that in 06/07 Dunk lows were also on iD because I made an atrocious pair that were like brown suede and patent leather lime green....I have no clue what I was thinking. I think it was around 07 or little later where AM1 had alligator and crocodile, I had like 3 pair in my cart and never pulled the trigger unfortunately.

PS. did you keep the red flights? haha
Click to expand...

Yeah, makes sense with the Dunks on the ID program. I was never really into Dunks either. I love all the themes and names and stuff of various dunks, but just never really liked the silhouette. Sadly, the red Flights were gone a long time ago - along with any of my other sneakers from back then. I think the oldest pair I still have that I actually bought at the time are some of the IDs from 2006 or 2007. When I moved from Denmark to the US I got rid of everything (cries). I remember just giving stuff away - all kinds of cool sneakers, NBA jerseys and shorts, vinyl records and lots more. Not until many years later was I like: "man, I wish I had all that stuff again now..." Oh well.
 
dblplay1212 said:
Did not know that was the only pair to have that. Thanks for sharing.
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@dblplay1212 I wrote it wrong - I meant to say that they were the first pair to have that (not the only). The "OG Mesh (Royal)" from 2000 and "USA (Patriot)" from 2002, for example, have mesh upper eyelets as well. Can't think of others since, but there may be. Sorry for the mistake.
 
SUPER BLACK SUPER BLACK got me thinking and hip hop culture played a huge part in my sneaker taste and style in general. My pops took me to see the movie Beat Street 12 year old me didn't know about "culture" or anything like that I just knew what I liked and those suede pumas with the fat laces and the jogging suits was *fire emoji*. I think it was then I paid attention to style and the hip hop/b-boy style was it for me.
Dope thread I'm enjoying the stories everyone is posting.
 
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