SoleGRIND
| 👟 Sneaker Release Info | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Nike |
| Model | Nike Air Max 720 |
| Colorway | Northern Lights |
| Style Code | AO2924-001 |
| Release Date | February 1, 2019 |
| Retail Price | $180 |
| Available At | Nike.com |
Nike announced the Air Max 720 in January 2019 and the sneaker world lost its mind. The tallest Air unit in Nike history. 38 millimeters of pure cushion. That number, 720, refers to 360 degrees of Air visible from every angle. It was a bold claim and an even bolder shoe.
The first colorway to drop was the Northern Lights Night, hitting retailers on February 1st, 2019. SKU AO2924-001. That iridescent purple and teal upper was inspired by the aurora borealis. The upper used a combination of mesh and synthetic overlays with these wavy, organic lines that looked like nothing else on the market. Some people called it ugly. Some called it genius. I think it was both, which is kind of what made it great.
The launch lineup was massive. Nike didn’t just drop one colorway and call it a day. They came out swinging with a full collection inspired by natural light phenomena. Northern Lights, Sunrise, Sunset, Total Eclipse, Desert, Sea Forest, Pink Sea. Seven colorways spread across February 2019. The Sunrise and Sunset pairs were Nike+ exclusives, dropping on the 21st. The rest hit retailers on the 1st and the 29th.
Retail was $180 for men’s pairs and $160 for women’s. The women’s exclusives were honestly some of the best colorways in the lineup. The Sunset pair with that gradient fade from yellow to orange to red was stunning in person. Photos didn’t do it justice. The Pink Sea and Sea Forest colorways were also women’s exclusives and they had this almost aquatic, translucent quality to the Air unit that looked incredible.
What made the 720 special wasn’t just the height of the Air bag. It was the fact that Nike’s Air Manufacturing Innovation team figured out how to mold the entire Air unit as one piece. Previous Air Max models used dual-stack or tubular designs. The 720 was a single, seamless 360-degree Air unit. That’s a genuine engineering achievement. The upper was designed to sit on top of this massive cushioning platform with a futuristic, almost space-age aesthetic.
The Total Eclipse colorway was the sleeper hit of the bunch. That dark, almost black upper with the iridescent Air unit was clean. It went with everything. The Desert colorway was interesting too, with these sandy, earthy tones that felt like something out of a sci-fi movie set on Mars. Courtney Dailey, Nike’s VP of Color Design, said the goal was to “strike a balance between amplifying the tech and making its own statement.” I’d say they nailed it.
Not everyone was on board with the 720 when it dropped. The design was polarizing. Some people thought it looked like a moon boot. Others thought it was the most exciting thing Nike had done in years. I landed somewhere in the middle. The comfort was undeniable. Walking on those things felt like having trampolines strapped to your feet. But they definitely weren’t a shoe you could just throw on with any outfit. They demanded attention.
Looking back, the Air Max 720 was a statement. It was Nike saying, we can still push the boundaries of what Air technology can do. After 30 years of Air Max evolution, they found a way to make it bigger and more dramatic than ever. Whether you loved them or hated them, they got people talking. And in a sneaker landscape that was increasingly dominated by retro releases and collaborations, having a brand new silhouette that actually generated buzz was something special.
