Fashion

Running around town from day to night in my Nike Air Vapormax

Kicks on fire

22.08.2017

By Cai Mei Khoo

Running around town from day to night in my Nike Air Vapormax

The first time I came across the Nike Air Vapormax was at the Comme des Garçons show last October. Debuting at the brand’s Spring/ Summer 2017 show, Rei Kawakubo sent a sleek version of these shoes down the runway, creating a frenzy amongst fashion editors and sneakerheads alike. Fast forward to this past March, the Nike Air Vapormax was finally launched on Air Max Day, the 30th anniversary celebration of the first shoe to showcase the Air-cushioning unit. 

 

Hailed as the ‘pinnacle of Air’, the Nike Air Vapormax reportedly took seven years to create. In wanting to maximise the Air experience, Nike has stripped down the Vapormax and removed as many layers as possible between the foot and the Air unit. What the Vapormax essentially is, is a shoe without the midsole or outsole, creating a shoe that weighs in at less than 283g, or about 40% lighter than the Air Max 2013. “It’s been a journey and it’s been super exciting,” said Nike’s VP of Innovation, Seana Hannah, to SoleCollector. “There’s a lot of incredible problem solving. The sneaker is an engineering masterpiece.”

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While I wasn’t quick enough to grab a pair in the platinum colourway (these babies sell out fast!), I did manage to get my hands on the Chrome Blush version, a new colourway that was released just last month, along with Triple Black, and City Tribes (a dark army green shade). Best described as a sandy-blush, the Chrome Blush Vapormax is a great neutral shade that works with all my workout outfits, with a subtle nod to the Millennial Pink trend. A chrome silver swoosh adds a touch of shine to the futuristic-looking shoes, thanks to the exposed Air unit.

 

Unsure of how I’d feel running in them, I thought I’d break in my new Vapormax shoes on a regular day at work and was surprised (or should I not be?) at how comfortable they were. I’m a Flyknit convert—I love how it makes the shoe hug your feet in all the right places, but what I really liked about the Vapormax was how flexible the Air unit was, and just how light they were—I was, of course, literally walking on Air. The soles were like mini airbags for my feet, created with different pressures within the chambers—slightly softer in the forefoot, and a little firmer under the heel. I paired them with a shirt and skirt for our Buro 24/7 bus trip, but they worked just as well with a striped shirtdress for a day full of meetings, and with skinny ripped denim on the weekend.

 

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The first time I wore the Vapormax to the gym, I received quite a few compliments on them, and what most people wanted to know was if they were comfortable and if they made for good running shoes. They fared well on the treadmill—it was a HIIT class so we had short sprints to do but I also did a few longer runs with them, and they really are something else.

 

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My previous running shoes, which I absolutely love, are the Lunarepic Flyknits. They are cushy and provide just the right amount of support and flexibility I need for longer runs. The Nike Air Vapormax, however, offered a similarly lightweight run, but somehow also felt sturdier. The Flyknit upper seems thinner as compared to the Lunarepic Flyknits, and the Flywire cabling that wraps around the sides of the feet really helps to enhance the sock-like feel of the shoe. Light, formfitting, sturdy and fairly grippy, the Vapormax shoes do need a bit of breaking in before it gets a bit more comfortable—I suppose I’m still learning how to run on Air, but these shoes are currently ranked on top of my list of Nike shoes, and are in high rotation at the moment. They take me from morning coffee run, through an entire day at work, and then to actual runs in the evening—a shoe that works as hard as you, what more could a girl want? 

 

For more information about when the Nike Air Vapormax drop will be, please click here


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