The residency-style program gives independent creative voices direct access to Nike’s proprietary archives, labs and manufacturing facilities — a notable shift in how the brand involves outside talent in product development.
Nike is launching a co-design initiative that will bring eight independent designers from cities across four continents to its Oregon headquarters to develop a new generation of Air Max footwear.
The Air Works program — structured as a four-day research, development and design residency — runs May 11 through May 14 at Nike’s Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, Oregon. Participants based in Beijing, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo will work alongside Nike mentors to produce individual 3D-printed Air Max styles, developed in partnership with Zellerfeld, a startup specializing in fully 3D-printed footwear manufacturing.
Nike opens its archives and labs to outside designers
Each visiting designer will have access to facilities not typically available to external collaborators: Nike’s Air Manufacturing Innovation facility, the Department of Nike Archives, the Nike Sport Research Lab, the Blue Ribbon Studio and the Bowerman Footwear Lab. The hands-on exposure to proprietary tools and historical material is central to the Air Works model — distinguishing it from conventional design competitions or brand-controlled collaborations.
Each Air Works design feeds a local community release ahead of 2027
Following the May residency, each designer will produce a limited friends and family run of their shoe for distribution within their home community. Those releases are scheduled to roll out across the coming year, building toward Air Max Day 2027 — the annual March 26 celebration Nike uses to mark the anniversary of its first Air Max launch in 1987. The 2027 edition will coincide with the 40th year of Nike Air innovation.
The eight-city selection spanning Asia, Europe, North America and South Asia reflects Nike’s ongoing effort to demonstrate the franchise’s global cultural relevance. Zellerfeld’s 3D-printed manufacturing approach adds a practical logic to the creative premise: each design can remain distinct without requiring the dedicated tooling that conventional footwear production demands, making limited and personalized runs commercially viable at small scale.
The names of the eight participating designers are expected to be announced later this season.
