NIKE AIR 180 OG

Whilst some of the purists out there disagree with the addition of the yellowed soles and vintage effects that the Nike ‘OG’ range brings, most heads can’t get enough of these original, iconic Air Max colourways – and we can see why!  After the strong ’87 and Infrared ’90 that dropped at the end of last year, Nike have once again dipped into their huge archive of classics and brought back another one of their icons – the legendary NIKE AIR 180.

The 180 originally dropped at the height of the ‘tech wars’ in 1991, where every shoe company was bringing out a gimmicky cushioning feature to try and compete with Nike’s Air and Reebok’s Pump.  Nike’s answer was simple: MORE air! The 180 boasted 50% more air in the heel than previous max offerings, and made sure that the airbag was the star of the show, giving it a clear outsole wrap that allowed it to be seen through 180 degrees.  A big ad campaign and the ’92 Olympics followed, with these even being worn by Michael Jordan for some off-court antics… but then the original 180 went quiet, with Nike choosing not to follow it up.

The shoe lived on the minds and collections of Nike fans though, partly due to that massive air bubble, and partly because of the amazing colourways the shoe came in, with early 90’s neons providing crazy pops of colour on the otherwise plain white upper.  By far the most memorable was the ‘Ultramarine’ makeup of neon pink and blue;  A colour scheme previously seen on the Mariah PR, but which looked even better on the wedge silhouette of the 180.

2013’s ‘OG’ version stays true to that palette, with the Solar Red surrounding the 180 unit sure to break some necks on the street! The upper keeps it correct with the original mix of suede and mesh, with the slightly off-white of the materials and matching laces still looking fresh and clean.  The midsole yellowing has been toned down to a much more subtle level than previous releases, and whilst that signature 180 airbag has shrunk in size since 1991, it’s still a great looking feature.

Overall these are a strong remake of a stone-cold classic which are perfect to save for those (few!) dry spring/summer days we get here in the UK – and as the closest we’ll get to the 1991 originals, we’ve got a feeling the purists and collectors will be eager to pick these up too!

The NIKE AIR 180 OG is available to buy now. The confirmed list of UK stockists and their link-throughs can be found by clicking through to the PRODUCT PAGE below.

By @slangwerks