Some silhouettes disappear after just one release, only to haunt search bars for years. The Nike Air Max 1/97 is one of those.
Born in 2018 from Sean Wotherspoon's victory in the Vote Forward contest, this hybrid combined the upper of the Air Max 97 with the sole of the Air Max 1. The multicolored corduroy of the original version made it an instant grail, never reissued since. Seven years later, Nike is finally bringing the mold back for a great project!
The model returns as part of the Doernbecher Freestyle charity collection, not a new Wotherspoon chapter. The colorway remains under wraps: it will be designed by one of the six young patients from OHSU Doernbecher Hospital. Launched in 2004, the Doernbecher program pairs hospitalized children with Nike designers each year to create unique pairs, with sales funding the hospital. The Air Max 1/97 is expected to arrive alongside five other models: an Air Jordan 11 Low IE, an Air Force 1 Mid, an ACG Rufus, a Structure Plus, and one silhouette still kept secret.
The real question remains, left open by this return: after nearly ten years away, could the Air Max 1/97 come back beyond the charity framework? Nothing is confirmed for now. In the meantime, the Doernbecher Freestyle 2027 collection is expected in Spring 2027, likely as early as January in the United States.