The Nike Air Max 96 didn’t exactly premiere to rave reviews twenty years ago. It’s reception would probably be more accurately described as lukewarm, a result of being the immediate follow-up to the beloved Air Max 95, I imagine. Well, Nike will allow its critics to rectify that oversight this summer, when the shoe makes its long-awaited return.
Officially dubbed the Nike Air Max 96 XX — twentieth anniversary and all that — the shoe, by and large, looks rather faithful to the original. On this lead colorway, a close approximation of one of the OG looks, a white leather upper is inlaid with navy mesh “teeth,” before giving way to navy leather around the heel.
The Swoosh-outline and Max Air windows look a little more volt (ie neon yellow) than “scream green,” but those are semantics; this is as 1996 as Buzz Lightyear and the Spice Girls.
There’s no word yet on a Nike Air Max 96 XX Scream Green release date. But considering these are official photos, it can’t be far off. Stay tuned.