Nike Is Giving the Iconic Air Max 95 an Original ‘Big Bubble’ Update
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Nike’s iconic Air Max 95 sneaker has its 30th anniversary coming up next year, and the brand’s plans for the big celebration are already beginning to trickle out. In addition to a rumored Nike SB x Air Max 95 reworking and an update to graffiti artist Stash’s coveted collab, new information suggests the sneaker will also be returning in a form that closely matches its original 1995 look.
Multiple reports indicate that the original Nike Air Max 95 “Neon” colorway will be remastered with a big bubble makeover in 2025. The treatment refers to the sneaker’s signature visible Air units in the forefoot and heel. Since the original release in ’95, the size of the bubbles has decreased considerably, which changed both the look and feel of the classic shoe. The change wasn’t only seen on the Air Max 95; many of Nike’s 1990s-era Air Max shoes experienced similar fates.
The reason for the shift in Air sizing is sometimes chalked up to Nike’s 14-year push to eliminate use of a greenhouse gas known as SF6. In an effort to be more environmentally friendly, Nike in 2006 began using nitrogen in the Air pockets instead of SF6. The brand has never confirmed the connection between this change and the size of the Air units, and the use of a different element doesn’t necessitate a change in the shape of the units, but that hasn’t stopped internet speculation over the last decade-plus.
In 2023, Nike commemorated its annual Air Max Day holiday with the release of a “Big Bubble” Air Max 1 ’86. Rather than amplify the size of the Air Max 1’s existing Air unit, this ’23 iteration referenced a rarely seen original Air Max 1 from 1986 which featured a longer visible window.
Now, the Nike Air Max 95 “Neon” will reportedly return to its original Air bubble sizing with its own “Big Bubble” release in ’25. Sole Retriever adds that the shoes, which have a SKU of HM4740-001, will be released in April at a retail price of $180 following an Air Max Day launch for the first big bubble Air Max 95, a “Lost Sketch” colorway.
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