The Nike Air Max 97 Joins the ‘Kaomoji’ Craze

The Nike  Air Max 97 is preparing to join the ‘Kaomoji’ craze, after recent news that a similar Air Max 95 was about to hit the scene. Kaomojis are text-based emoticon expressions that incorporate Japanese characters to create facial expressions, and this AM97 will come with multiple Velcro badges that allow the wearer to express their current mood via the tongue tag on their Air Max flex.

Beyond that playful feature, this release rocks a neat black, white, silver, purple and ‘Volt’ colour combo, making full use of the AM97’s signature wavy upper. 

According to sneaker mythology, the Air Max 97 design was inspired by a Japanese bullet train – hence the ‘Silver Bullet’ moniker given to the OG colourway. However, the mind behind the AM97, Christian Tresser, has since explained that the layered uppers represent ripples of water in a pond. Regardless of which origin story you choose to believe, it’s undeniably that the AM97 has left an indelible mark on the sneakersphere.

Pairs of the Nike Air Max 97 ‘Kaomoji’ are expected to hit Nike and selected Swoosh stockists very soon, so don’t get caught using sad Kaomojis if you miss this one. 

Keep updated on all the latest Air Max heat by creating your very own SF profile. Simply click ‘Sign in’ on our menu and join the fam.