The Nike Air Max 96 II ‘Goldenrod’ OG is Due for 2021 Retro
Well, it looks like the rumours are true: are likely bringing back the II in 2021, as evidenced by these official pics. Has it really been five years since the underrated entry in the flagship line was reissued for the first time? That being said, that 2016 ‘retro’ of sorts used the sole unit from the Air Max 95 Ultra, so the most purist of Airheads still sought out sneaker satisfaction. Now, if the above pictures are indicative of the final product, these picky people may indeed continue pushing for an accurate reissue.
The Air units on the 25th anniversary retro definitely appear a lot smaller than what the OG pairs had. Upon closer inspection, it almost looks like this new midsole – which likely has needed to be remade (sometimes OG midsole tooling is lost/destroyed at the factory) – borrows the forefoot units from the Air Max 95, while the heel section vaguely resembles the Air Max Plus (aka TN). This all makes sense, considering the AM96 II historically sat between the aforementioned two models.
Midsole proportions aside, the upper looks pretty good, especially considering Nike did a decent job of recreating it for the 2016 retro. ‘Goldenrod’ was one of the OG colourways, and it’s denoted by the striped accents that run throughout the middle of the upper, and also highlights the Air units. Elsewhere, the crisp white panels juxtapose nicely against dark navy mesh.
Stay tuned for the inevitable release details, and the likelihood of more colours returning.