The Air Max Scorpion is one of the first Nike sneaker designs created entirely during the pandemic. New VR software and simulation tools, combined with decades of vertical manufacturing expertise, facilitated a condensed development timeline and reduced the need for, and environmental impact of, physical samples. Working virtually with these tools, Nike designers came up with a radical system of Air units using complex geometries that incorporate morphology data and pressure maps from Nike’s Sports Research Lab. The result is the most Air yet – in terms of pounds per square inch. The Scorpion’s airbag system produces a piston-like effect through strategically determined contact points between the foot and the airbag. A first-of-its-kind Flyknit chenille upper has short fibers held perpendicularly in place by two twisted vertical yarns to form a soft pile texture that balances the new Air system. The Air Max Scorpion is made with twenty-percent recycled content by weight.
Available October 5. Shop the Air Max collection at nike.com
