The Nike Air Max DN, the most advanced of Nike’s bubble-soled Air Max sneakers, is getting a new look honoring the sneaker legacy that came before it. 

Starting black at the bottom of the shoe and ending with a bright orange tongue, its gradient color scheme is reminiscent of a sunset — and I suspect that isn’t a coincidence. 

Nike and Air Max have a long history with sunsets.

Back in 1998, when the Air Max Plus (known affectionately around the world as the Air Max TN) was debuted, it made its entrance with a similar orange sunset colorway.

A pair of those original shoes will set you back upwards of five figures today and it continues to be a fan favorite — in late September, One Block Down debuted a collaborative “reversed” take on the colorway. 

Over the years, Nike has also released a sunset pack with a full line-up of Air Max models and the Air Max SNDR was recently revived with a similar paint job. 

The Nike Air Max DN is by far the most advanced out of Nike’s bubble-soled Air Max sneakers.

The shoe’s four-tubed, dual-pressure air unit is “the beginning of the future of Air,” according to Nike executives.

Nike

However, to get to this point of innovation, a great deal of Air Max models came before Nike’s all-new silhouette.

Expected to be released early next month, it's nice to see the latest evolution of Air Max pay tribute to the old guard through a classic sunset-esque colorway.