Nike Launches Its Fourth 3D-Printed Air Max; Eight-City Designer Series Runs Through 2027

Nanjixiong learned that on October 21, 2026, Nike Sportswear released the fourth 3D-printed shoe in its Air Works program. Designed by Los Angeles-based designer Masyn, the shoe uses an Air Max silhouette and is manufactured by 3D-printed footwear company Zellerfeld.



Air Works is Nike Sportswear's first program of its kind. It invited eight independent designers from Beijing, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Shanghai, and Tokyo to a four-day workshop at Nike's Oregon headquarters from May 11 to 14, 2026. They worked with Nike designers and engineers to develop their own Air Max styles, all manufactured using Zellerfeld 3D printing.

The series comprises eight shoes. Each designer will release a limited “friends and family” edition in their own city, with releases continuing through Air Max Day in March 2027. Traditional shoemaking requires a mold for each design, making small batches expensive. 3D printing skips most of the tooling process, making localized small-batch production of eight independent designs possible.

Nanjixiong's observations

Nike is taking 3D printing beyond concept shoes and into a rolling release model involving multiple cities and designers. The key is not mass production, but the ability to test designs in small batches and local markets. Sneakers remain one of the consumer 3D printing applications most familiar to the general public.

AI-translated from an article by Kuaixiong on Nanjixiong, originally published on 2026-10-21. Text and images retain the original source attribution.
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