Who designed Nike Air Max 1, the first Nike shoe with a visible Air cushioning window?

Tinker Hatfield designed Nike Air Max 1, the first Nike shoe with a visible Air cushioning window.

Released in 1987, the Air Max 1 grew from Hatfield’s idea of making the shoe’s internal Air-Sole unit visible. He drew inspiration from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, whose exposed structural and mechanical elements influenced the sneaker’s layered construction.

Nike had used Air cushioning before 1987, but earlier models concealed the technology inside the midsole. The Air Max 1 made the cushioning itself part of the visual identity, creating a design language that became central to Nike running and lifestyle footwear.

Hatfield is sometimes incorrectly described as the inventor of Nike Air. Former aerospace engineer M. Frank Rudy developed the Air-Sole cushioning technology; Hatfield designed the shoe that displayed it.