Air Max Creative Director Dylan Raasch Has Parted Ways with Nike After 14 Years

News of the Nike layoffs have dominated headlines for the past few months, along with John Donahoe’s questionable correlation between a lack of innovation and Zoom meetings. Amid all the struggles, Nike have now been dealt another blow, with legendary designer and Swoosh veteran Dylan Raasch announcing he’s decided to part ways with the brand after 14 years.

A true legend of the sneakerverse, Raasch began his long tenure with Nike in 2009 when he joined as a member of their running team, creating one of his many revered designs – the Roshe Run. Sneaker Freaker are on record stating the Roshe is one of the most influential sneakers of the 2010s, if not of all time. Not only was the model a gargantuan commercial success thanks to its easily accessible price point and minimalist design, but the model ushered in a new generation of sneaker design beyond the Beaverton campus. It marked the point when sneakers began to shift away from traditionalist builds to instead focus on future innovation.

Not just the Roshe god, Raasch then went on to design numerous successful silhouettes with Team Swoosh, embodying Nike's then-signature innovation. He became a senior member of the Nike team, and while acting as the creative director of Air Max, Raasch brought to life many of the newer Air-injected iterations, such as the bulbous Air Max 720, Air Max Pre-Day and Air Max 2090. There’s also been a swathe of stalwart Air models he’s helped reinvigorate for future generations, including redefining the Air Max 97 in Ultra form and kitting out the Air Max 95 in its Ultra Jacquard build. Another recent Raasch-designed success for Team Swoosh as a whole was the Air Max 270 – a model that's been credited as one of the most successful new silhouettes of the past decade. The 270's commercial success has been unparalleled compared to the many other models Nike have debuted over the past few years.

In an Instagram post announcing his departure, Raasch stated: ‘After 14 years, this was my last week at Nike. I have made the tough decision to part ways with the brand and open myself to a new chapter’.

Thanks for everything you did for the sneakersphere, Dylan! All eyes are on what’s to come.

You can read two interviews we did with Dylan Raasch here and here!