Nike’s Chunky Winterized Air Max DN Is More Boot Than Sneaker
Complete with a weatherproof new skin, Nike’s Air Max DN sneaker has been updated to handle colder months and the conditions that come with them.
Finished in a cargo khaki upper with brown mudguards and a matching sole unit, the Nike sneaker leans into a more rugged direction than the standard DN shoe.
The build feels capable of going step for step with Nike ACG, Nike’s most weather-minded lineup, while still keeping the DN’s sleek, lifted profile intact.
That silhouette also brings to mind the Air Max Sunder, the more outdoors-leaning sneaker that first appeared through a CDG collaboration before later reaching wider release and circulating heavily on SneakerTok. The connection feels deliberate.
The shoe’s most distinctive feature is its water-repellent zip-up shroud, a clear nod to the original Air Max Sunder from the 2000s.
That design choice isn’t just visual. By concealing the laces, the shroud helps block cold air and water from entering while streamlining the overall shape. It pushes the DN further into Nike’s long-running experiments with covered lacing systems, where utility and a cleaner, more futuristic profile go hand in hand.
Set to release December 23 on Nike’s website for $160, the Air Max DN “Rome” shoe keeps its responsive Air Max cushioning underfoot while dressing the silhouette for winter. It isn’t trying to become a boot or a trail shoe outright. Instead, it feels like a technical Air Max built to stay comfortable once winter actually starts behaving like winter.
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