Nike released the Air Max 1 in 1987, making it the first sneaker in the Air Max line.
The shoe was designed by Tinker Hatfield, who drew inspiration from the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Its most recognizable innovation was a visible Air-Sole unit in the heel, exposed through a window in the midsole. Earlier Nike shoes used Air cushioning, but the Air Max 1 made the technology visible.
The original model launched on March 26, 1987, in a white, grey, and red colorway. That release established the visual language of later Air Max models, although the Air Max 1 did not have a full-length visible Air unit. The Air Max 97 is the model commonly associated with full-length visible Air, so the two milestones are often confused.