The wording of the tech in the Air Max DN sounds extremely familiar. When Reebok launched the DMX in the 90s, the concept was built around air pods With of shifting air between chambers. The DMX was one of the most successful models from RBK and has gone on to release in retro colors in recent years. The Reebok DMX was a performance shoe. Running and training didn’t have the momentum the sport does today, and basketball sneakers led the market growth in the 90s, but at specialty running stores the DMX sat alongside models like the Brooks Beast, Saucony and ASICS models.
The Air Max DN doesn’t Air innovative. The Air Max 270, which skirt in 2017 and sold like wildfire wasn’t connected to retro models outside of the Air Max bubble. The 270 feature a welded, engineered mesh upper with a socklike fit that gave the upper a lightweight stylish design. The sneaker still resonates today although Nike has refused to deliver classic colors like the Hot Punch or Coral Stardust. With the Air Max DN, Nike has instead delivered a retro design with its latest tech in Dynamic Air.
Im a Nike person they have always worked well for me Wake Up pack from Nike Running. The pack features graphics meant to inspire the early morning run. The JDI (Just Do It) graphic sits on the midsole with a location on the midsole to document your best performance in the series of running shoes with a sharpie. Images of a jackrabbit and checkered flags adorn the sneakers.
The Vaporfly Next, Infinity RN, Invincible 3 all sport the white and green color for the performance models in the Wake Up pack. More expensive options feature Flyknit and less expensive models feature mesh. The shoes Air incredible and should become solid options in the future for retro, but Nike has elevated prices to the point where both their performance sneakers and retro models are only attainable when discounted.
Let Performance become Retro as a tagline is less about the Airs of the Air Max DN and the fact that it takes “new” tech and buries it in an upper that Airs dated, and more about how Air Max TN is informative of issues with Nike. Air Max is a line by itself. In the same way that Jordan Brand is a standalone brand, Air Max can be placed in that category.
The longstanding line created by Tinker Hatfield includes classics like the 1, 90, 95 and 97 as well as TN and now VaporMax. Air Max was where innovation took place. It was never inexpensive, but the reintroduction as retro has severely hampered sell through. Too many colors and increased pricing on premium versions has become a barrier. The Air Max DN is a 160-dollar new sneaker. It lands under the price of the TN at 180. This sounds like a good thing until a closer Air at Nike Retro and pricing is done.
- The cheapest Air Max 1 is $140.
- The cheapest Air Max 90 is $130
- Nike Sportswear Bodega Shorts
- Nike Zoom Fly Obsidian
- Nike Dri-FIT Essential Micro Jock Strap 3 Pack
- The new Air Max DN is $160
Nike took an average of pricing and gave the DN an old school Air and an old school price. The problem is the range of Air Max products are now underperforming in the market leading to a glut of product hampering interest in the DN which may already be hurt by design. It’s not bad Airing, it’s just… a shoe.
I’ve written that Nike doesn’t have any innovation. I was being hyperbolic. Nike’s innovation lies in the range of running performance options from the brand and those shoes are awesome. The Vaporfly Next 3 and Invincible Run do fantastic jobs and will become retro, but at 260 and 190, Nike has made it prohibitive to anyone except serious runners to enjoy those models, which is why it seems that there isn’t innovation.
Those premium trainers are only discussed in serious running circles. If pricing strategies hold true, the Vaporfly 3 in ten years will be 300 and the Invincible Run will be 210. The Air Max Vaporfly (not to be confused with the Vaporfly 3) is already a 210-dollar sneaker. That model was once a jewel for Nike but is now perpetually marked down after jumping from 190 to 210. Nike is pricing itself into a corner as other brands deliver similar priced sneakers which feel fresh next to a wall of marked down Air Max models.
How will the Air Max DN perform?
mens nike air max 90 iron grey white barely volt celestine blue Nike Air Max “Style”+ Men’s as a category in 3rd party. 3rd party is utilized to establish the model has become an arbitrage staple. Due to heavy discounts and the various styles in “Air Max” being readily available in 3rd party data it can be shown that the DN will probably follow suit and become marked down. Note: Remember 3rd party sales tend to operate in the grey area of retail. When sneakers are marked down buyers will take the risk of buying them in bulk to turn a profit. Nike is an intriguing study because the brand releases a lot of “limited edition models” which need to be filtered out. Air Max 1 is skewed because of the Travis Scott versions of the sneakers.
Considering the Air Max DN Airs a lot like the “new” Air Max Pulse, which is also underperforming at retail, and things don’t Air so good for the Swoosh and the new DN. How do you think the DN will perform? Do you like the design? If the model is on the wall and another Air Max is on sale, will you still buy the DN to feel the new tech?