The original “Neon” colorway has rightly been the most doted over in Nike‘s prolific celebration of the Air Max 95‘s 30th anniversary, but a much more rare colorway is set to make its first return.
The Nike Air Max 95 “Black Border” revives a relatively obscure treatment that was only released in 1996. Rather than applying a gradient to its wavy stripes, the shoe alternates between white and black while applying the same two colors throughout the majority of its other components. Emerald accents appear throughout, including the Swoosh, tongue and heralded “Big Bubble” Air units.
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Because the “Black Border” Air Max 95 released only once and diverts from the model’s typical color-blocking, it holds a special place among collectors. Technically, it can be considered an original colorway, but it did come in the second year of the shoe’s first run in stores.
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In addition to the limited “Neon” retro, Nike has released a large number of Air Max 95 colorways this year, many featuring the “Big Bubble” treatment, bringing its proportions closer to that of the sneaker’s earlier days. A “Reverse Neon” edition dropped exclusively through MoMA and was sourced from an original sketch by designer Sergio Lozano, and Corteiz also dropped its long-awaited “Honey Black” collaboration.
A Levi’s collaboration featuring three shades of denim promises to be a major event with its release in just over a week, and it’ll be followed by an “Yu-Gi-Oh!” project later this year that channels a duplicate Air Max 95 appearance from a 1997 issue of the manga. Eric Koston will also get his own Air Max 95 through Nike SB, which is expected to release more variants of the sneaker retooled for skateboarding in 2026.
Speaking to FN for a story on the Air Max 95’s resurgence, sneaker mogul James Whitner said: “For me personally, the 95 was the OG, it transcended performance right out the gate. Yeah, it was technically a running shoe, but nobody I knew was lacing those up to go jog. It was about the look, the presence. The Air Max 95 helped shape what we now think of as Air Max culture, especially in the Black community. From the moment it dropped, it had that energy. It was bold, expensive, hard to get. So if you had a pair, it said something. I still think that shoe is part of the ‘look’ for certain people. It became a statement, and honestly, it never really stopped being one.”
The Nike Air Max 95 Black Border doesn’t yet have a firm release date but is expected to release in the coming months. Pricing is set at $190.