Back in 2001, Nike did something it rarely does: it made a run of Air Max 95s in Italy. The Air Max 95 LUX was a premium take on the silhouette, complete with a hangtag bearing the outline of Italy. Twenty-five years on, Milan's One Block Down has picked that story back up.
The result is the One Block Down x Nike Air Max 95 Big Bubble LUX 'Italy'. It lands in four colourways, 'Black', 'Green', 'Red' and 'White', alongside a small football-inspired clothing capsule. The 'Black' pair is the one most of us will get a shot at, hitting Nike SNKRS in the UK on 19 November 2026 for £184.99.
A Closer Look at the One Block Down x Nike Air Max 95 Big Bubble LUX 'Italy'…
Rather than just recolouring a standard 95, One Block Down has rethought the upper. The usual stack of layered panels makes way for a padded, one-piece leather construction, with curves that still trace the anatomy of Sergio Lozano's original. Look closely and you'll spot a subtle embossed pattern across the top half, adding texture without breaking the clean lines.
The leather itself is prepared and finished in Italy, with final assembly taking place in Vietnam. So not quite the full made-in-Italy job of 2001, but the bit that matters most still comes from there.
Flip the shoe over and things get more patriotic. A custom TPU insert in the outsole carries artwork celebrating 30 years of the Air Max 95, mixed with One Block Down graphics and nods to Italian identity, including a green, white and red gradient you'll only really see when you're mid-stride.
And that hangtag? It's back, now as a chrome accessory based on the 2001 original. Nice touch: the outline of Italy has been redrawn to include Sicily and Sardinia this time round.
'Black' (IM0704-001)
The 'Black' edition is a straight-up tribute to the original LUX. Upper, midsole, the lot, everything is blacked out, which really lets the sculpted volumes of the upper do the talking. From above, the only hint of colour comes from inside the shoe.
'Green', 'Red' and 'White'
The other three pairs spell out the Italian flag between them. Each gets a digitally printed tonal gradient on the leather, designed to follow the curves and stitching channels of the upper. Because the leather takes the colour slightly differently every time, One Block Down says no two pairs come out exactly the same.
Bad news if you've fallen for one of these, though. All three are dropping in very limited numbers, and only at One Block Down's flagship store in Milan. Time to start pricing up flights?
What About the Clothing?
The apparel takes its cues from Nike Football's training gear. There's a Technical Jacket, Technical Woven Trousers, a Training T-Shirt and a Technical Skull Cap in black or white.
Reflective branding, embroidered graphics and stitching in the Italian tricolour tie it all back to the sneakers. Keep an eye out for the '09' logo, too. It's a riff on Nike's Total 90 insignia, reworked to reference the year One Block Down opened its doors.
From Selling Jordans to Designing Air Maxes
If One Block Down isn't on your radar yet, here's the short version. Founder Patrizio Vita opened the shop in Milan in 2009, partly because nobody in the city was selling Jordans at the time.
Today it's a multi-brand streetwear boutique a stone's throw from the Piazza del Duomo, with two stores in Milan and one in Rome, according to Nike. The motto? "For the culture of subcultures."
It doesn't stop at sneakers either. During Milan Design Week, the store has teamed up with Italian design heavyweights Cassina and Zanotta, so a project rooted in Italian craftsmanship feels like a natural fit.
The Air Max 95 silhouette itself needs no introduction here, of course. Three decades on, it's been through endless retros, premium takes and collabs, but the 2001 LUX has always been one of the odd ones out. That makes it a pretty smart starting point for a Milanese store.
When Is the Drop Date?
One Block Down gets first dibs. On 13 November 2026, the 'Black' pair launches online and in store at One Block Down, while 'Green', 'Red' and 'White' drop exclusively at the Milan flagship.
UK sneakerheads can then try their luck on 19 November 2026 at 8:00 via Nike SNKRS, where the 'Black' pair will set you back £184.99. Expect selected retailers to stock it too.
IMAGE CREDITS: NIKE / ONE BLOCK DOWN
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