Nike Air Max Tailwind

About

The Nike Air Max Tailwind traces back to the original Nike Tailwind, which debuted in limited numbers ahead of the 1978 Honolulu Marathon before a wider 1979 release. Engineered around aeronautical engineer M. Frank Rudy's pressurized-gas cushioning concept, it was the first Nike shoe built with Air-Sole technology, though that original air unit sat hidden inside the midsole. Visible Air cushioning arrived later with the Air Max 1 in 1987, and the Tailwind line adopted a visible heel bubble with the Air Tailwind 92. In 1996, Nike folded the Tailwind into its Air Max family with the Air Max Tailwind '96, pairing a multi-chambered heel Air unit with a chunky leather-and-terry running upper. The line evolved through the Tailwind 2 (1997) and 3 (1998) before the Tailwind 4 (1999) added visible forefoot Air units alongside the heel bubble and bold ribbed side panels, earning it the nickname 'Jailwind' among collectors. Nike has continued reissuing the silhouette in original and updated colorways, including a 2019 retro of the AQ2567-100 'OG' White/Volt-Black-Aloe Verde pair at $160, keeping the model in regular rotation among running-shoe collectors.