The Nike Air 180—I’m always going to call it by its original name, not the “Air Max 180” as it’s known today—is returning this month in its full OG “Aquamarine” glory. This new 2024 retro is complete with an improved, larger Air bubble, which remasters the shoe to be more accurate to the original 1991 pairs. This is one of my favorite running shoes of all time, so it’s nice to see it with the considered execution it deserves.

That’s all I’ll say about the 2024 Air 180 retro until Nike wants to cut me a check to promote its releases (or at least send me some shoes). Today I’m here to run through the history of the Air 180’s original 1991 ad campaign, which is arguably Nike and Wieden + Kennedy’s most creative, artistic, and coolest project ever.

Actually, let me back up a minute to talk about the shoe itself first. Designed by Tinker Hatfield and Bruce Kilgore, the Air 180 was Nike’s flagship Air technology running shoe in 1991. Innovating on previous hits like the Air Max 1 and Air Max 90, the Air 180 featured the brand’s largest Air bubble yet, which went “180º” around the sole of the shoe, visible underneath thanks to some strategically placed clear rubber on the outsole.

Back before the internet, the shoe was introduced to the world via this detailed Nike print ad. 

Highly educational, but a bit technical, right? Luckily for us artistic types, Nike went all out with additional promotion for the shoe, including artwork by illustrator Ralph Steadman, who you likely know from his work for Hunter S. Thompson stories in Rolling Stone, etc. In 2018 Nike released a special edition of the shoe in hairy brown suede inspired by the hare in this illustration.

And this two-page ad below also features commissioned artwork from Charles Anderson, Takenobu Igarashi, Alphonse Holtgreave, and Andre Francois.

Now let’s get to what I’m really here to highlight today, the Air 180’s awesome TV commercial series. In 1991 Nike and W+K commissioned artists, filmmakers, and animators from around the world to create their own short films for the Air 180, which run the gamut from funny to visually stunning, to downright weird. I’ve collected as many as I could find on YouTube below. (Thanks to all the uploaders.)

Industrial Light and Magic
ILM is a visual effects company founded by George Lucas in 1975, before a little film he made called Star Wars was released. They definitely seem to be going for a Star Wars vibe here as the camera’s point of view flies past the black rubber outsole of the shoe, past the Air bubble, and then zooms out to see a runner wearing a pair. That’s a lot of movie magic in a 15-second commercial.

Eiko Ishioka
Eiko Ishioka was a Japanese art director, graphic designer, and most notably, a costume designer for major motion pictures including Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Fall, and The Cell, all of which have absolutely stunning costumes. In this beautiful minimalist commercial, we see an airy, red silk cloth with the shadow of an almost weightless runner lightly treading across it.

Caleb Deschanel
Caleb Deschanel is an American cinematographer known for films including Being There, The Right Stuff, The Natural, and even National Treasure and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (yikes, lol). And yes, he’s also Zooey Deschanel’s father. I need the runner in this commercial’s full fit, including the pink shorts.

David Cronenberg
Needless to say if you’re familiar with sci-fi/body horror director David Cronenberg’s work, his was the weirdest…

Jean-Luc Godard
Actually, French New Wave icon Jean-Luc Godard’s commercial is giving Cronenberg a run for his money in the weird department.

Gédéon
Also from France is this commercial by Gédéon, who, to be honest, I’m not familiar with and can’t really find anything about via Google. But this one is certainly very French, oui?

Evert de Beijer
Dutch animator Evert de Beijer definitely has the most fun and cutest 180 commercial, with this cartoon of a guy falling into the shoe only to find that the Air sole cushions like a trampoline. “Heey!”

Osbert Parker
UK director Osbert Parker also has a fun one with this stop motion animation piece with a runner running out of a magazine. Don’t burn up those Air 180s!

OK, that’s all of the 180 Air commercials I can find on Youtube, but I know there is at least one more in existence, which doesn’t seem to be uploaded anymore. I can prove it because I found this old screenshot saved on one of my hard drives of Italy wearing the Air 180.

Lastly, there is also this 180 commercial not from the artist series, which is definitely more of a typical Nike commercial of the time. Boooring.

And as a bonus, here’s a goofy commercial featuring David Robinson for the Nike Air Force 180 High, which was the first high-top basketball shoe with 180 technology.

I guess why stop there when we’ve also got this Air Force 180 commercial featuring an animated and very intimidating Charles Barkley to watch. 

So there you have it, a somewhat complete collection of the Nike Air 180’s extensive print and TV advertisements. Watching these commercials in 2024, it’s refreshing to see a time when Nike was a more irreverent company willing to take risks and get a bit weird with their advertisements. Maybe the campaign is just a reflection of the fun-loving spirit of the early ‘90s, or maybe we don’t see Nike do things like this anymore because ~not to get all political, but~ capitalism kills great art. I don’t know. But hey, at least that new Air 180 retro looks great.