AI MAX
A Call to Artists by Nike
At the occasion of the Nike by You Workshop, Obvious was picked together with 21 artists chosen by Nike to customize a pair of sneakers. Each creation highlights local talent and tells a personal story through a limited edition model available for 10 days on Nike.fr.
For its Paris edition, the workshop invites artists to imagine the future of the city — how its design, culture, and trends will evolve in the coming decades, reflecting Paris as a space of creativity, innovation, and forward-looking style.
AI Inspired
As artists using algorithms to create, Obvious demonstrated for the first time the power generative tools when used to create a product based on the brand history. They used Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to produce new and unique images from countless examples.
To create this exclusive sneaker model, they collected images of Nike Air Max 1, 90, and 97. Using these, they trained Generative Adversarial Networks to generate new colorways, exploring new combinations through AI-assisted creativity.
Created with AI algorithms
From the results of the training, Obvious selected the most representative design which also matched the workshop’s available color palette. The chosen AI-generated colourway was then faithfully reproduced and produced in collaboration with the Nike by You Workshop team.
The first AI designed sneakers
The result of this first experiment: an original Nike sneaker designed using artificial intelligence. The colors were imagined and arranged by algorithms after analyzing existing models, creating a unique interpretation rather than a simple blend.
This design represents AI’s dialogue with years of Nike designers’ work. As a signature, Obvious added a reference to the mathematical formula behind the algorithms; a nod to the code that enabled this creative collaboration between human and machine.