JD Sports is the exclusive home of the Nike Air Max 95. Nearly 25 years since one of the most iconic silhouettes in the Air Max lineup first landed. If you’re craving those distinct lines and provocative design, the Undisputed King of Trainers is the only place to go. From its gradient colourways and swoosh pops to that signature comfort — here’s what made the Air Max 95 the sneaker we’ve all come to know and love.

The early 90’s was a time dominated by the basketball shoe category, with the heavy influence of NBA stars. Nike athletes like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuwon dominated the game on and off the court, making it inevitable for Nike Basketball to take control of the sneaker market. The running category was forced to take a backseat to its hardwood counterpart, and Nike sought new and inventive ways to breathe life back into the lifeblood of its origins. Turning a new page in the Air Max lineage, Nike ACG designer Sergio Lozano was brought in to inject a fresh perspective into the storied franchise.

The Air Max 95 represented a number of firsts for Nike. The first ever Nike model to feature visible Air in the forefoot, and the first Air Max to boast a black midsole. Although the sneaker went against the grain of everything the footwear market and Nike had embraced previously, the 95 resonated with youth culture and quickly became a statement piece for the streets — particularly popular throughout Europe and Australia. Like any great older sibling, the 95 breaking the mould paved the way for brazen designs like the Nike Tailwind IV and the Nike Air Max Plus — aka Tuned 1, or ‘TNs’ if you ever rocked them with Nautica shorts and a polo cap.

Inspired by mother nature and his outdoor legacy, Lozano’s imagination led him down the road of unearthing the perfect product by erosion. Forming the silhouette’s unique upper, the lines and gradient construction were built to resemble geographical striations of erosion. Fusing this with the anatomical make-up of the human body — layered paneling echoing muscle fibres, nylon eyelets resembling a protective rib cage, and an extended midsole reminiscent of the human spine — the result was a truly unconventional innovation of design.

Originally launching in a signature gradient grey colourway, Lozano set out to minimise the appearance of wear and dirt which would inevitably build over time — even though Nike execs told him outright the colourway wouldn’t sell. From the design to the colourway, the individuality of the sneaker was both its greatest strength and its most significant obstacle. Calling back to Nike’s heritage bright-colour race kits, the shoe was finished with neon yellow pops at the eyelets and a late-addition heel swoosh.