For this Nike sneaker campaign, we created a set inspired by the BW’s deep and ever-lasting connection to rave culture. It’s been 30 years since the model was first released and the love affair began. We wanted to show true rave fans rocking their Nikes, embracing the bizarre, celebrating their joy for their lifestyles and their love for their kicks.

Although pretty much every sneaker junkie has a soft spot for this silhouette, it’s especially popular among ravers – super bouncy footwear for when you’re up all night dancing. Our shoot was inspired by the rave scene in the Ukraine – which is massive right now – and the London grime scene. It features real-life ravers wearing Nike shoes with their own clothes in an underground garage – the ideal location for a secret party, when you get the address half an hour before kickoff, forwarded to you in a WhatsApp message that’s made the rounds…

The Nike Air Max BW has stood the test of time since its launch, around the same time as the birth of electronic dance music. As EDM grew, from acid house through to hardcore, jungle and D & B in the UK, and garage and house in the US, these Nike sneakers became rave’s perfect partners. Their “big window” of air gave the warehouse party generation a big window of opportunity to behave and create just how they liked.

The models are dressed for themselves and for their culture. Their outfits are bright, sexy, matched, mismatched, clashy, cool – they break boundaries, grab attention, and they’re the ultimate form of self-expression. 

But it’s not just footwear and clothing that’s important for partygoers; rave culture is a way of life. This campaign shows how Nike Air Max facilitates this life on the dancefloor and beyond.