The iconic Nike Air Max 180 ‘Ultramarine’ makes a grand return in 2024, bringing back the beloved OG colourway of the retro ‘90s running shoe. We know several of you in the Community are excited for the drop, but no more so than Offspring’s very own Aman Tak. We fired him some questions on the silhouette and here’s what he had to say.

The legendary shoe Nike Air Max 180 has been a mainstay of sneaker culture since its initial release in 1991. Do you remember the first time you saw a pair of Air Max 180’s?

I do. The first time I saw them was when I was running around playing 40/40 and the older kid in front of me was running up the stairs and all I could see was the bottom of his shoe. I just remember thinking how on earth is that Air unit not being held by anything. I also remember the same guy skating in them and wrecking them which was devasting to see. The closest I got to them at the time would be on our regular group outing to Ealing Broadway, heading to First Sport then Cobra sports to peep a better look.

What does the return of the Air Max 180 mean to sneaker culture?

I think it means different things to different generations. For the older gen, it has that nostalgia surrounding it and then then the retro we were treated to. Though not ‘one to one’, we were spoilt with some of the amazing collaborations from the likes of Nom de Gerre, Opium, if you were lucky the Dizzy Rascal and also some great retro colour ups. For the later gen they may remember the Comme Des Garcon iteration more, which was a great entry point to the model.

I think holistically for the culture it’s a great move to bring back these icons. Its enabled us to tell the story to the new but puts smiles on some of the older guys that remember it the first time around.

We’ve seen the Air Max 1 come back and now the 180 in their truest form, or as close as they can get it, and who knows what else we might see come back. Exciting times ahead!

How would you compare the Air Max 180 silhouette to other pairs in the Nike Max franchise?

Retrospectively comparing it to the other Air Max model, it’s pretty iconic and ground breaking really. Obviously visible tech was available by then however it was concealed within the midsoles. This pretty much stripped that away and exposed the total unit which was bigger than anything we had seen so far. I think for this it stands independently as a ground-breaking model of its time and a cult classic.

A little birdie told us you own a pair of the OG Ultramarine’s from 1991 and we’re curious about their current condition. Are they looking like crep or cake?

Hahaha, cake unfortunately ☹. I managed to buy them brand new, with the original box, booklet inside and receipt in the box from a guy who was a GB runner and had just found them at his parents’ house in Birmingham… or so he told me. Although 2 sizes too big for me, I snapped them up and are/were my most prized possession. They actually stayed together pretty well until around 2021 where they just started to crack and now crumble. I’ve had to hold them together with cling film now but I’m super happy I have them to compare them to the new ones. I check on them every Air Max Day now and every year they seem to worsen!

The ‘Ultramarine’ is amongst the most iconic colourways in the Air Max 180 franchise. Are there any other standout colourways that you would like to see make a comeback?

I would love the Concord to come back. There’s this iconic image of Michael Jordan wearing a pair in his Dream Team uniform. As a kid it was one of those images we would stare at in awe. They did retro them but to have them in this guise would be amazing.

This upcoming release sees the OG sized Air 180 bubble finally after 20+ years, which has never been the case after the first 6 OG colour ways were released in ’91 and ’92. What is it about the return of the OG Ultramarine that you’re most excited about?

Straight up… to see this BIG BUBBLE!!! I think that’s the most defining feature on all these ‘bring backs’ Nike are doing, aside from the shape. For whatever reason over the years the Air window has reduced in size so Nike have really focused on bringing that feature back true to the original. There are a few slight differences on this one to the original 91 version, however, not enough to distract me personally on wanting to buy into it.

The Nike Air Max 180 ‘Ultramarine’ is available online and in Offspring stores.