The Nike Air Max 97 Dresses Up for National Puerto Rican Day

The Nike  Air Max 97 is dressing up for this year’s National Puerto Rican Day in the US, adding some patriotic touches to the silhouette’s legendary  ‘Silver Bullet’ colour scheme. While leaked images surfaced on IG early last month, we now have the official pics, and a release date, for the Air Max 97 ‘Puerto Rico’.

Possibly hoping to avoid the dramas caused by last year’s attempted Air Force 1 tribute, this year’s version places the flag in a vertical position on the tongue tags. IYKYK. Elsewhere, that coveted ‘Silver Bullet’ colourway is punctuated by Puerto Rico’s national colours of red, white and blue. 

While many believe that the Air Max 97’s signature aesthetic was inspired by a Japanese bullet train, the mind behind the design, Christian Tresser, says the layered uppers represent ripples of water in a pond. Regardless of which version you choose to believe, the Air Max 97 sure has left an indelible mark on the sneakersphere.

Pairs of the Air Max 97 ‘Puerto Rico’ are scheduled to hit Nike and selected Swoosh stockists on June 5. 

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