JD Sports Pull a ‘Prototype Neon’ Air Max 95 Ultra From the Nike VaultRelease: 6 April 2023 Style Code: FJ4216-002
Colourway: Prototype Neon
Style Code: FJ4216-002
Colourway: Prototype Neon
Nike’s flagship Air Max line represents the pinnacle of visible Air technology encased in top-end footwear. Out now at JD Sports is a largely untold story from the vault, which has been retconned for the modern sneakerhead: the Air Max 95 Ultra ‘Prototype Neon’.
Had Nike held access to the production prowess they have now, the original AM95 would’ve likely looked like how it does in Ultra form. This augmented edition does away with the stitched layering of the Sergio Lozano-designed icon and instead uses seamless heat-bonding to ensure a sleek upper. It retains the original ‘greydient’ as featured on the model’s grey-test colourways and reprises other key components, namely the ghillie-style lacing and mesh eyestay. The Ultra designation also means a lighter and more flexible compound is used for the midsole while retaining the distinct forefoot and heel Air units.
As for the ‘Prototype Neon’ story, it’s explained in its colourway that looks remarkably similar to the ‘Neon’ OG, albeit with a black tongue instead of a white. This panel was originally blacked-out in Lozano’s original sketches of the AM95, and a pre-production sample of the shoe was also specced as such – something eagle-eyed spotters noticed in an old Japanese sneaker magazine. It’s an esoteric detail largely circulated among the sneakerhead intelligentsia, but Nike and JD Sports are shining a light on this intriguing bit of trivia.
Head over to JD Sports Australia doors and their web store to pick up the ‘Prototype Neon’ now.
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