Nike are back with another masterclass in football-meets-streetwear crossover, delivering the second drop in their 2025 Air Max-inspired series – and this one hits with legacy, attitude, and a whole lot of shine.
Introducing the Nike Air Zoom Mercurial Vapor XVI Elite x AM95 SE in the official “Black/Solar Red” colourway, though that label barely scratches the surface of the story Nike are telling here. Hot on the heels of April’s Superfly x AM95 debut, this time it’s the Vapor silhouette that’s getting the Air Max treatment – and it’s done with serious nods to heritage and high-performance tech. Set to be worn once again by Vinicius Jr., who’s fast becoming the Swoosh's go-to poster boy for the Vapor model, and Chelsea's Cole Palmer, this limited-edition release takes cues from one of Nike’s most iconic sneakers: the Air Max 95.
This is more than a boot – it’s a celebration. With ‘1995’ etched on a shimmering chrome-effect soleplate, Nike mark 30 years since the original Sergio Lozano-designed Air Max 95 shook up the sneaker world. Back then, visible air units in the forefoot were radical. The wavy layered design? Unmissable. Its street-born DNA found a home from Rio’s favelas to South London estates, becoming a cultural touchstone for footballers, ravers, and everyone in between. Now, that unmistakable aesthetic is once again reinterpreted for the pitch.
Design-wise, the Vapor x AM95 merges past and future. The upper arrives cloaked in stealthy black, layered with the signature wave design lifted directly from the AM95 – but look closer and you’ll see something much more modern coursing through the boot. Cosmic Speed tech, first seen on the September ‘24 drop of the Air Zoom Mercurial ‘Cosmic Speed’, pulses through the upper in iridescent detailing that flickers through the “T” toebox. It’s the sort of flash that doesn’t ask for attention – it demands it.
Nike don’t stop there. A Nike Air callout sits on the heel, while the Air Max logo on the higher tongue gets a Mercurial remix, now reading “Air Zoom” – a seamless blend of two icons. It’s sneaker royalty reinterpreted for elite-level football. A real flex for players who know their history, but play for the future.
Available from 12 May exclusively at prodirectsport.com/soccer for Nike Connected members
