NIKE air max 97 gets a sparkling swarovski skin

the classic NIKE air max 97 has just been given a dazzling new skin, now encrusted with more than 55,000 tiny swarovski crystals. NIKEwomen designers looked to the crystal manufacturing pioneer and its signature fabric to creatively embellish the now 20-year-old shoe. the textile offers a glistening and subtly gritty appearance with its densely clustered cut and uncut gems. 

the NIKE air max 97 LX ‘swarovski’ edition was conceived when the company’s color and material teams received rare access to swarovski archives. here, they learned about the 12 years of research that went into the production and application of its sustainable advanced crystal formula and were drawn towards the crystal fabric — ‘we were looking to explore shine and durability in a new and innovative way, and we loved the juxtaposition of the crystal fabric’s tough sparkle to reinvent an already iconic shoe,’ said marie crow, NIKE material design director for NIKEwomen sportswear. 

the fabric was applied without any stitching, and uses a heat fusing process and precise pattern pieces to curve around the waves of the shoe. as the sneaker moves around the wearer, the crystals reflect light with a bright, shimmering effect. ‘the air max 97 is a truly iconic 360-degree silhouette that has inspired us to imagine what might happen when speed meets light,’ says markus langes-swarovski, swarovski executive board member. released in black for spring, and now in silver for fall, the shoe marks the first time NIKE has fused precious material onto the air max 97.