Sneakers
NIKE AIR MAX 1: A NEW AGE OF THE UGLY DUCKLING
13 December 2022Transforming the iconic Air Max 1 with a turn of the Millenium twist, we take a look back at Nike's 'Ugly Duckling' pack and its subcultural appeal.
Throughout the past twenty years, the world of sneakers has drastically and irrevocably changed. From hyper-local drops to worldwide launches, the art of picking up the latest high-heat sneakers has become a globalised phenomenon – an inescapable framework that drives the latest and greatest in footwear design. Looking back over the past two decades, the turn of the millennium saw a wider interest in sneaker culture begin to flow, with an abundance of iconic Nike kicks becoming household names beyond internet forums and sneakerhead circles. With celebrated silhouettes such as the Air Max 1, Dunk Low and Air Force 1 capitalising on limited releases, tailor-made for specific locales, Nike carefully built a unique empire of cutting-edge design and highly sought-after make-ups.
At the turn of the century, in 2001, the Beaverton brand was carefully curating an exclusive selection of Japan-only releases, cultivating a hype of its own around unusual colourways and iterations of sneakers that were essential in building the brand’s subcultural status alongside its already renowned position as a sportswear giant. One such offering, the “Ugly Duckling” pack, saw Nike deliver a trio of brightly coloured Dunk Low sneakers, overflowing with eccentricity and visual flair, that was designed to specifically appeal to the Japanese market – a demographic renowned for their penchant for the famed basketball silhouette. Named after the 19th century fairy tale, “The Ugly Duckling (Den grimme ælling)” by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen, the trio of sneakers combined the Dunk’s trademark chunky and robust aesthetic with a visual code that nodded to the moral of the tale – to see past the exterior and to focus on the inner beauty of things. Infamously difficult to pick up, the Japan-exclusive Dunks came and went in the blink of an eye, instantly becoming a classic and one of the most sought-after colourways of the chunky hardcourt model.
Jumping nearly twenty years ahead to 2020, and Nike’s reissue of the Ugly Duckling pack was met with similar feverish fervour and fandom, with sneakerheads coming out in their droves to ensure they secured the fabled styles for fear of missing out for a second time and taking the dreaded ‘L’. The “Low Plum”, “Veneer” and “Ceramic” colourways of the cult silhouette instantly became a hit for the second time, with the re-release seeing the trio being made widely available to the sneaker-verse outside of Japan for the first time.
Transposing the iconic “Ugly Duckling” Ceramic style and a new colourway inspired by the OG pack to one of the shining jewels in their sneaker Crown, the Air Max 1, Nike update the classic runner model with a flourish of CO.JP flavour across its PRM make-up. Elevated with both materials and subcultural appeal, this rendition of the Tinker Hatfield icon sees Nike capitalising on the continued globalisation of sneaker culture and bringing the world of exclusive and sought-after sneakers from bygone years to the next generation. However, act fast, or you might find yourself mourning the loss of another “Ugly Duckling” and have to wait 20 years before it rears its head once again…
Release information
Nike Air Max 1 PRM 'Ugly Duckling'
Antracite, Kumquat & Honeydew
DZ0482-001
12/20/2022
Release information
Nike Air Max 1 PRM 'Ugly Duckling'
Pecan, Yellow Ochre & Baroque Brown
DZ0482-200
12/20/2022
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