Nike has increased its branding emphasis on 3D printing across multiple releases this year: the latest was just announced at ComplexCon in Las Vegas. The new drop is the Air Max 95000, a spin on one of the most iconic shoes in the sneaker giant’s portfolio, the Air Max 95.

Like the Air Max 1000 released over the summer, the 95000 is a collaboration with 3D printed footwear specialist Zellerfeld, which has cultivated a reputation for mastering the overlap between high-end streetwear and digitalization. With the release of the Air Max 95000, Nike is also announcing what it refers to as Project Nectar, a unique printing process that aims to optimize the balance between function and form.

In addition to Zellerfeld, Nike will make the Air Max 95000 available for purchase on the company’s SNKRS app on November 28. The retail price hasn’t been announced yet, but for reference, the Air Max 1000 currently retails for $180.

Around the same time as the apparel brand announced the Air Max 1000, Nike also announced the 3D printed FlyWeb bra. Kenyan Olympian Faith Kipyegon wore the FlyWeb during an attempt to break the four-minute mile: a feat she missed by only around seven seconds, setting an unofficial record for women athletes.

The Air Max 95000.

In a press release about Nike’s launch of the 3D printed Air Max 95000, Brittany Shelton, VP of North American Brand Management at Nike said, “Nike Air has always been about pushing boundaries and inspiring the next generation. The Air Max 95000 brings that inspiration to life through innovation that delivers creativity and opportunities for self-expression.”

The CEO of Zellerfeld, Cornelius Schmitt, said, “What began as a profound idea to give creators more freedom has grown into something much bigger. Today, the brand we all grew up admiring is using our platform to design faster, test ideas instantly, experiment without limits, and bring entirely new silhouettes to life. Nike has always defined the future of footwear, and Zellerfeld’s technology is helping unlock new possibilities in design.”

The Air Max 95000.

As I discussed in my post last month regarding Apple’s announcement that it was using additive manufacturing (AM) for the iPhone Air, I think it’s worth considering which brands are trying to target when they put AM at the center of a marketing campaign. In Apple’s case, I argued that the company was more concerned with targeting manufacturing stakeholders than it was with appealing to consumers.

When it comes to Nike, though, I think that consumers are the target audience for the branding, with the company’s repeated mention of “self-expression”. Especially with a company like Zellerfeld — which enables users to customize their orders — as its partner, this suggests Nike is likely to keep leaning into 3D printed mass customization.

So far, this has mainly taken the form of custom fitting, but it’s easy to imagine it evolving toward even greater personalization. Aside from AM, Nike has in fact been allowing its customers to personalize orders for decades, with its offering originally called NikeID, rebranded as Nike By You in 2019.

All of this is particularly noteworthy in light of the narrative surrounding Nike that has emerged in the last couple of years, as investors have attempted to explain why the company’s stock price has been performing so poorly: many blame it on Nike’s hard pivot to direct-to-consumer (DTC). Nike hired a new CEO last fall, Elliott Hill, who was previously the company’s President of Consumer and Marketplace. While this was largely interpreted as a sign that the company would pivot back to its old strengths, primarily by establishing strong ties with retailers, the AM-centric releases at least suggest that Nike hasn’t yet given up on DTC.

Images courtesy of Nike