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The Air Max Light was originally released in 1989 and seen as by Nike as the next step in Air Max technology, moving forward from it’s predecessor the Air Max I (1987). Designers at Nike HQ in Beaverton, Oregon, originally marketed the silhouette Air Max II but later renamed it Air Max Light because it weighed substantially less than the Max I.

It wasn’t until summer 2007 that Nike first reissued the Max Light into a world then saturated with the Light’s older brother, the Air Max 90, and despite the multitude of material and colour-ups that have released since it’s first comeback, the Air Max Light has had somewhat of a relatively small following in the trainer fraternity. As always though, it’s the original colourways that are the most sought after, and for this reason and because not many will be lucky enough to own a pair of 1989 originals, or even the 07 retro, it’s fair to say that the 2011 release (including vintage treatment) will be pretty hot property.

As far as the vintage treatment goes, Nike have got it spot on this time. While many people wont initially like the two-tone yellow/white midsole, if you were to actually compare them to an 89 OG you’d see they age in all the same areas. The reason for this and the reason Nike changed the name from Air Max II to Air Max Light all those years ago, is because Nike designers took the Air Max I sole unit, played with it’s shape slightly and replaced the polyurethane in the front section with a lighter weight EVA foam that overtime actually kept it’s original colour better.

A must have for fans of the original and those wanting to broaden their Air Max horizons, this highly anticipated release falls under Nike’s Quickstrike category and will be available in limited numbers from size? stores and online this Friday (2^nd December).

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