Nike celebrates 30 years of the Air Max 90 by looking 70 years into the future

Nike has revealed its latest Air Max silhouette, a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Air Max 90. The new Air Max 2090 builds off of the heralded sneaker's DNA while imagining what cars will look like in 70 years. Flyease, Nike's flexible heel system that allows the sneaker to be stepped into easily, is also introduced to the line.

Old vs. new — From the jump, you'll notice echoes of the OG heel tab, mudguard, and cropped Swoosh. The Air Max unit also has similar construction, but it's now 200 percent bigger. The color blocking serves as a bridge of past and future, mixing black and several shades of white with small hits of blue and red culled from favored AM90 colorways. Where you see translucence isn't just a nod to the future; it's highlighting the less structurally important parts of the shoe.

By far my favorite parts are the accentuated stitching and Swoosh that almost looks like it was drawn with a Sharpie. They keep the shoe grounded, like something you yourself could make. The future shouldn't be so serious. It should be fun. That ethos helps make this one of the better new Air Maxes in recent years (although I am an admitted hater of the 270, 720, and Vapormax soles).

Step into 2090 — Nike has slated the Air Max 2090 for a spring release. The price hasn't yet been announced, but expect it to be around the $160 to $200 range of the newer Air Max models.