Corduroy Chronicle: A Brief History of Sean Wotherspoon's Nike Air Max 1/97

On March 26, 2014, Nike celebrated the first-ever Air Max Day, a fictional holiday that commemorated the introduction of the revolutionary footwear franchise in 1987. The first few affairs promised long-awaited retros, but by 2017, Air Max Day festivities had shifted to reimagining the future of the series. To this end, the Swoosh developed the “Vote Forward” campaign, inviting 12 creatives (dubbed “RevolutionAIRS”) to give their take on visible Air; proposals that received most votes from the public would go into production as Air Max Day’s launch sneaker in 2018.

A number of notable figures formed part of the inaugural RevolutionAIRS cohort, but Sean Wotherspoon—Virginia-native and co-founder of the Round Two consignment empire—stood out amongst the crowd for the name he had been making for himself in the world of nostalgic product—many old school Nikes and Air Jordans.

As was the case with Round Two, a business he co-owned with the other partners, Wotherspoon relied on like-minded people to brainstorm his entry into the Swoosh’s competition.

Corduroy Come-Up: The Design Process

Wotherspoon gathered over 10 people—including the likes of Ben Baller, Franalations, and A$AP NAST—in an archival space of Round Two Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2017. Excited, the longtime sportswear fan shared to the group that Nike implored him not to worry about cost restrictions or manufacturing difficulties: “They said no limitations, right? We can design any shoe, anything we want.” Enticed by the boundless guidelines, he proposed adding a different sole unit to the Air Max 97 upper. The group was intrigued, contemplating hybrid possibilities that involved the Air Max 1 or Air Max 90, but it wasn’t until a mock-up of the former was shown to the room that things clicked.

“When I think of you, it’s vintage,” said Instagram personality Sk8 the Gr8 to Wotherspoon, reaffirming the idea that the Air Max proposal should include corduroy, a fabric the thrifter encountered quite frequently in his vintage hunting.

The Round Two-frontman and his trusted advisers were surrounded by numerous Air Max releases of the last 30 years while they deliberated every detail on the project. Tooling and upper material choices weren’t easy, but they proved more straightforward than some of the design’s other elements. Wotherspoon’s personal affinity for bright colors got him and company to contemplate disparate color options for every layer of the AM97’s upper; a belief in veganism and uncomfortable experiences with leather liners prompted the entrepreneur to land on velour. Vintage “Have a Nike Day” graphics he encountered in his archival findings rounded out the multi-colored hybrid silhouette, serving as the “cherry on top” of the nostalgia-driven treat that would soon take over the sneaker scene.

The People’s Champ: Launch Time

Three days later, Wotherspoon visited Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. to present his Air Max 1/97 idea. The public was then given a chance to vote for their favorite design amongst RevolutionAIR entries. Leveraging the foot traffic of his Round Two shops, Wotherspoon installed voting kiosks to allow folks to make their voices heard.

On March 26, in an event in L.A., the Swoosh announced the corduroy-covered concept as the winner of the “Vote Forward” campaign. This meant Wotherspoon and team’s effort would launch to the public on Air Max Day 2018. Prior to then, however, pairs made their way across the sneaker landscape, receiving co-signs from Friends & Family of the Round Two universe, as well as marquee Nike, Inc. partners like Travis Scott and Kevin Durant.

Tapping into the spirit of the Swoosh’s past, Wotherspoon and Nike had a Volkswagen van done in the same colors as the Air Max hybrid roll around L.A. and Virginia. The old school ride served as a marketing vehicle to hand out collaborative items in a similar fashion to how the sportswear giant used to deliver athletes new shoes in its earlier days.

By the time Wotherspoon’s shoes had their official drop via Nike SNKRS, demand for the project had reached levels that could only be rivaled by a handful of releases. The $160 Air Maxes swiftly made their way to the secondary market (including Round Two), fetching well-over MSRP (A Men’s U.S. Size 10 is currently going for $5,726 on StockX (all accessories) and $897.12 on KICKS CREW).

A Story Cut Short: Legacy

The world may never know what actually happened between Wotherspoon and the Swoosh conglomerate, but the partnership only produced one proper release. Sample pairs of Air Max 1/97 styles that could’ve eventually dropped were previewed by both parties before they officially parted ways.

The vintage-enthusiast went on to do work with ASICS, atmos, and adidas Originals in the aftermath of his Nike hybrid, but none have illicit the response of his corduroy proposal—even if similar materials and color schemes have been used.

There’s no telling whether or not the duo will re-release product at some point in the future. All there is to do, then, is to “Have a Nike Day” and wait.

You can shop all things visible Air right now via Nike.com/Air-Max.