Nike Air Max 1 Ultra Flyknit

2016NikeArt Direction / Motion Design / Visual Development

An established Air Max silhouette meets a new material language. For its 2016 release, Nike combined the Air Max 1 with Flyknit: open-knit areas improved ventilation, denser construction provided support, and the familiar mudguard helped preserve the original shoe’s identity. The communication had to make that shift in construction feel as distinctive as the silhouette itself.

Understand the material before building the image

“we resorted to real life knitting and reproducing the Ultra Flyknit pattern with a big thread on large scale.

Aixsponza, excerpt from its account of studying the knit pattern — Nike Air Max 1 Ultra Flyknit.

Reconstructing the pattern physically gave the 3D knitting sequence a basis in how the material connects. That mattered because the film needed to communicate a construction principle, alongside the shoe’s recognisable shape. Extending the same assets into shop windows, display areas and physical objects kept the material story consistent from the moving image to the retail environment.

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Credits

Client

Nike

Art Direction · Motion Design · Visual Development

Matthias Lein