To mark the 30th birthday of the Air Max, Nike offers for the first time to the sneakers lovers to chose the future of air. To do it she asks to 12 designers and innovators from all around the World, the Revolutionairs, to offer them the opportunity to create the Air Max of their dreams. They traveled to the Nike WHQ in Portland for tow days and worked with the Nike’s designers. These shoes will be submit to vote on the dedicated plateforme.

We got the privilege to meet Clément Balavoine, one of the lucky selected creatives, young French designer when he came back from Portland. We asked him few questions. Passionate since his younger age by drawing and fashion, he always dreamed to work for the “Swhoosh” brand. When he was a young boy he draw shoes on school tables. By integrating the behind the scenes in Portland, et got the chance to fulfil his child dream by entering in the haunt where the all the products that made, make and will make the Nike success.

We just was the result of the concept you created for the Vote Forward campaign. Why the Air Max inspires you?

Clément Balavoine : I always wanted to work with Nike. I’ve always been interested to the brand history and to different innovations and I’ve always be impressed by the Air Max, its design. Through the story of Tinker Hatfield, the Air Max 1 designer and of many others models, and the fact to be inspired by the Centre Pompidou to show the technology to make it visual. All of this was a great inspiration. I wanted to pay tribute to Tinker Hatfield on my concept. I will tell you it later.

You chose to work with the Air Max 90 and Air Max 97? Why these two pairs?

C.B : The Air Max 90, was my first shoes, when I was very young. And the 97 was a shoe that was inspired by the Japanese Bullet Train and I love the Japanese culture, I find it genius. En the model I find it well-designed in its aerodynamic, lines. That is a pair that I’ve never had, that is as the Graal. I wanted absolutely mixing these two models, also because I’ve created 8 or 9 concepts for this event, but my first one, was with these two pairs of shoes, and I realized that it was the most equilibrate by mixing these two elements : the sole of the 97 with the “upper” of the 90

We recently saw limited editions for the Air Max Day. Two of the three designers chose the black color. Why this color?

C.B : That is totally a reflection of my style, my aesthetic. I am a very minimalistic person and that since 4-5 years I grow up in this style, technique, futuristic, minimal and modern. I try to stay sober in my work. That’s why I chose the black and white, that I’m wearing and that reflect my style.

“I wanted to reinterpret the past to create the future”.

Do you have a idea of the materials you wanted to chose?

C.B : J’ai voulu réinterpréter le passé pour créer le futur. That’s why I stayed close to the originals designs and also in the materials. I wanted to play with details and materials like the transparency. But for materials that is simple : nylon and leather.

About the Airbags, we can see the geographical coordinates. Could you explain the signification of its ?

C.B : It is a tribute, or a wink to Tinker Hatfield, it’s Centre Pompidou’s geographical coordinates. It’s very simple, very sober. I don’t want to do too much.
To discover all the project « Vote Forward » and to vote for your favorite pair of shoes, with only one vote per day, you just have to click on the website made for this occasion, from march 17 to 25.