During the mid-’90s, the footwear scene was primarily dominated by basketball sneakers, and taking advantage of this opportunity, sportswear giant Nike introduced a revolutionary upgrade to its performance sneaker lineage. Shifting the focus to the brand’s Air Max family, ACG designer Sergio Lozano revolutionised a silhouette that changed Nike’s history books. Cue the Air Max 95. 

Lozano sought to recapture public attention regarding visible air by injecting Air cushioning in both the heel and forefoot, resulting in superior comfort in every stride. Inspiration for the Air Max 95’s DNA was derived from the human anatomy; the shoe’s upper featured layered panels reminiscent of muscle fibres and flesh, the lacing system and eyelets fashioned after ribs, and a spine-like heel and midsole. 

With over 150 colourways, the silhouette has seen minor and major updates since 1995, and has become a cult classic uniting communities around the world. Synonymous with sneaker collecting culture, the Air Max 95 is a grail for every rotation. One impressive collection belongs to Cheshire Creps, an Air Max 95 connoisseur, who we caught up with in our size?collections series.

When it comes to colourways, there’s one that stands out in particular. Almost synonymous with the silhouette, the ‘Neon’ was the first to launch, using its high contrast tones to spotlight functionality and technology. After initial pushback pre-launch, the ‘Neon’ went on to define the franchise, solidifying itself as one of the most sought-after iterations and a cornerstone of culture 31 years later. 

After its 1995 release, the ‘Neon’ has since been reissued 7 times (1997, 2003, 2008, 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2025/26). Over the years, tweaks have been made to the design, some more notable than others, including the return of the ‘Big Bubble’ and varying grey shades applied to the gradient suede layers. Despite this, the core DNA speaks for itself and never falls short of the mark.

Shop the latest Nike Air Max 95 at size? now.