Welcome to a new dimension between the real and surreal: Energized by vibrant lights, bumber cars of the DN’s collider, live performances by a.o. French rap icon SDM, Nono La Grinta and French reggae & dancehall musician Merveille, we celebrated a special night dedicated to the official birth of a reinvented sneaker icon. In full excitement about the adventurous playground – if you may call it so – that brought together Nike’s circle of tastemakers, family and friends, we witnessed a celebrative moment of creativity and expression that went beyond limits. Redefining the feeling of space and gravity, we made our way through a.o. Nike’s JD House of Dynamic that played with our visual expectations to then enter the Swoosh Cyclone, a whirlwind ride of another kind. Dynamic Land is place of discovery and escape at the same time that made a perfect point about the brand’s new era of an Air Max generation.

It is now more than 37 years ago that Nike introduced their revolutionary “running on air” technology with their first Air Max 1, a shoe marketed for running that quickly became a breakthrough moment in the shoe and sneaker industry. It was actually M. Frank Rudy, an aeronautical engineer and NASA scientist, that first brought the idea of an air-cushioned sole to Nike in 1977. Design legend Tinker Hatfield took this idea to another level after a trip to Paris where he was highly inspired by the revolutionary design approach of Paris’s cultural heart, the Centre Pompidou. To be so radical by revealing the fundamental structure of an architectural concept has made a huge impression on him. It even led him to the concept of using the compressed gas air cushion and to fully lean into the idea of revealing its technology, opposed to hide it. The Nike Air Max 1 was born, originally named the “Big Bubble” and of course it was to no one’s surprise that it created a lot of criticism. However, Hatfield knew already that whenever you do something that people don’t understand, you will automatically attract negative voices. But it didn’t take too long until the shoe had marked a new chapter in sneaker design, shaping – until today – the evolution of culture.

One thing is for sure: a group of experts has to come together to rethink the status quo. And indeed, this is what happened: From the start, the new Air Max DN was a collaborative process between Nike designers, engineers and scientists at Nike Air Manufacturing Innovation (Air MI) and the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL) with the goal to create a more efficient Air system for comfort and motion.

“When I think about keeping an Air Max model fresh, color is actually the first thing I think of,” explains Juliana Sagat, Lead Footwear Designer for Nike Lifestyle. “You usually think about the visible Air unit carrying the emotion, but we see color as a holistic tool to bring more emotion to a silhouette. The Dn was designed so that color works precisely and in unison with the Dynamic Air platform, the upper, and the general profile of the shoe. When you can do that, your form of self-expression is limitless.”

Nike’s innovation teams are looking back on more than three decades of Air Max science. Digital capabilities like Finite Element Analysis helped teams test the air unit more quickly and accurately before making prototypes for real-life testing in the lab. When testing the air unit’s durability, for instance, the team could digitally simulate a year’s worth of wear and tear on the shoe in just a few hours.

The result of the design process that brings science and fashion together is a sharp, sleek and fresh new Air Max with a reimagined platform that re-introduces the feeling of walking on air in a new way. “We call it ‘dynamic motion’”, says Reggie Hunter, Product Director for Nike Lifestyle Footwear. “The independent setup of the chambers means that the air unit can respond to the load of your body with each step. The feeling of heel-to-toe movement is seamless because the air unit is interacting in real time with your foot and moves with you. The Nike Air Max Dn was the first time we were able to unlock that feeling.”

The new Nike Air Max Dn All Night colorway, and additional colorways are now available. The shoe’s probably most special feature is the new dual-chamber, a four-tubed Nike Air unit designed for a maximum of comfort and bounce. The dual-pressure air unit is comprised of two pressurized chambers, each with two tubes of different pressures to make your moves as smooth as possible.