Fragment Design x Nike Air Liquid Max Release Date IQ8601-001

Following Tuesday’s official reveal of the upcoming Nike Air Liquid Max, there’s yet another version of the sneaker in the pipeline.

This time, it’s a collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment Design. Rather than the bright neon greens seen on the Air Liquid Max’s launch colorway, the Fragment Design collaboration lets the sneaker’s intricate upper design stand out with a predominantly black-based look. 

Dashes of metallic silver and anthracite are used throughout, and Fragment Design branding appears in white text, but the pair is an otherwise blacked-out affair. The pair will also come with custom Fragment Design-branded insoles and packaging.

Along with its elaborate upper design, the Air Liquid Max’s key component is its new cushioning setup. According to Nike, the point-loaded setup is intended to mimic the feeling of walking on Air.

“The Nike Air Liquid Max connects science to art, creating a kind of irreverence and telling an amazing story of function and aesthetics,” TaeYong Lee, senior director of speed footwear product design at Nike, said in a statement.

While Fragment Design appears to have the model’s first-ever collaboration locked in, the in-line iteration of the Air Max Liquid will debut this month when it’s released on March 26 from Nike’s Snkrs app and select Nike Sportswear retailers. 

Fragment Design has also been tapped to reimagine another new Nike sneaker, the Mind 002. Fujiwara’s version of that model features an entirely new upper design with a knitted construction and an atypical lacing setup. There’s also a Fragment Design version of the Nike Mind 001 mule on the way.

A specific release date for the Fragment Design x Nike Air Liquid Max has not been confirmed, but readers can expect the collaboration to arrive at retail in March for a retail price of $225. The collaboration’s full colorway is Black/Anthracite/Black and it has a style code of IQ8601-001.