Nike has revealed the third footwear design from its Air Works program, a 3D printed Air Max silhouette by Beijing designer Marc Su. Su developed the shoe with Nike mentors and 3D printed footwear manufacturer Zellerfeld.
Su belongs to the first cohort of Air Works participants. Last spring, Nike brought this group of designers from eight cities to its Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, Oregon. During the visit, the designers studied four decades of Nike’s Air cushioning technology and used 3D printing to develop their own versions of the Air Max.
How the Air Works Program Is Structured
Nike set up the Air Works program to involve outside designers in developing future Air Max models. Each participant produced one silhouette. According to the company, each design is based on the designer’s own perspective and on the local communities connected to Air Max in their home city.
The shoes will not go to general retail. Each design will be made in a limited run for the designer’s friends and family.
Remaining Reveals Through March 2027
Two Air Works designs came out before Su’s. Motoi Hatsuki of Tokyo revealed his in July, and Tasnim of London followed in August. The other five designers are due to present their silhouettes over the next six months, with no reveal listed for November:
- October 2026: Masyn (Los Angeles)
- December 2026: Jose Wong (Shanghai)
- January 2027: Yams (Paris)
- February 2027: Omi (New York City)
- March 2027: Diya Joukani (Mumbai)
Nike and Zellerfeld Open 3D Printed Air Max Development to Outside Designers
Through Air Works, Nike partnered with Zellerfeld so that designers from outside the company could help develop future Air Max models. The eight participants worked with Nike mentors, and each produced a silhouette reflecting their own point of view, made as a limited run for friends and family.
This builds on Nike’s retail 3D printed footwear with Zellerfeld. In May 2026, Nike launched the Air Max 1000.2, an updated version of the 2024 Air Max 1000 co-produced with Zellerfeld, priced at $179 through the Snkrs app. Both projects put the Air Max into Zellerfeld’s printed production. The difference is that the 1000.2 was a Nike product sold to the public, while Air Works hands authorship to outside designers and limits output to friends and family runs.
Zellerfeld has also been expanding its platform for outside designers. In July 2026, the company relaunched its marketplace, calling it its largest platform update since it opened its printing service to outside designers. The relaunch added live rankings for creators and products based on demand, persistent fit profiles, and a preview of a subscription tier. Like Air Works, the marketplace relies on designers outside the manufacturer turning their work into printed shoes. The difference is that on Zellerfeld’s marketplace, creators gain or lose visibility based on real-time demand, whereas Nike invited eight designers to explore its 40-year history of Air innovation and produce limited runs.
Air Works keeps Nike’s creator-led printed footwear to a small, invited group and limited output.
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Featured image shows Airworks by Marc Su. Image via Nike.
