Nike Air Zoom Mariah: The Evolution of Nike Running Power
The iconic brand, in its quest to bring its vision to every corner of the world, have seen such a force in the Australian market with their focus on football and the most recent Nike Air Zoom Mariah release over the last few months.
The Nike No Limits campaign is focused on the idea of pushing oneself and achieving what may have seemed impossible, a theme present both in Nike’s own ethos and the sports community. It has been seen globally, and in Australia having a major focus on Australia’s thriving football culture and the friendly spirit and camaraderie involved in the game. Now, the newest instalment in Nike’s ubiquitous line of shoes is the Nike Air Zoom Mariah, an updated iteration of a long-running series that stretches back more than 35 years.
In 1981, Nike crafted a new racing silhouette to improve its selection of running shoes. This was a shoe for the serious road racer and was replete with the best air cushioning technology – only the second shoe after Nike’s Air Tailwind in 1979 to feature air in its design. This Curved Air Racer would, prior to launch, have its name changed to the Nike Air Mariah, perhaps being named after the wind.
This shoe was officially re-released in 1998, bringing with it the Nike Air Zoom Mariah’s familiar colour scheme of white, blue and infrared. This release ushered in a new era of Nike running shoe design, with the Nike Air Icarus and Nike Air Max 180 both being released in 1991 and featuring pioneering air cushioning.
Today’s Nike Air Zoom Mariah Flyknit keeps the original Nike Air Zoom Mariah focus on speed, with a renewed energy put towards wearability and comfort: an adaptive Flyknit bootie upper makes the shoe more comfortable for the user, Brio cables add a secure fit and Air Zoom cushioning protects the runner from miles of wear and tear.
We spoke to photographer and architect Demas Rusli – who contributed his genius to the “Sydney Fast” campaign that has been released in tandem with the new Nike Air Zoom Mariah – about how he used urban landscapes to help capture Nike’s creative vision.
fluoro. In your words, tell us who you are and what you create.
Dumas Rusli. My name is Demas Rusli and I am a full-time architect and hobbyist photographer/content creator. My main photography style would be architecture, urban, and night photography. More recently I have been exploring cinemographs/animations and creative composites using Adobe Photoshop.
f. What is it about capturing the urban landscape that interests you?
DR. As I am an architect, I am drawn towards lines, symmetry, geometry and structures. When it comes to photography, capturing the urban landscape in unique and creative ways has always been a passion of mine.
f. Do you consider yourself an urban explorer? If so, why? Or why not?
DR. For sure I would consider myself an urban explorer. I am constantly looking for new locations to shoot in the city and exploring the hidden back streets and alleyways of Sydney. When travelling, I love exploring big urban landscapes such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.
f. Tell us about your work with the Global Night Squad.
DR. Global Night Squad is a collective of a few friends I started a few years ago that run night photography walks / ‘Instameets’ / community events. The first event we ever hosted in Sydney had a surprisingly large turnout with around 90 people coming on a rainy Friday night. Since then, we’ve hosted these ‘Instameets’ in other cities such as Hong Kong, Melbourne and Brisbane, and our last Sydney event reached up to 250 attendees! It is such a good way for the photography community to meet and learn from each other.
f. What are the major considerations when shooting in such an environment at night?
DR. When shooting at night, one of the major things to consider is the source of light that you find or create (this could be from car/train trails, light painting with torches or neon lights in the city). It is how you creatively capture these lights that is the most challenging part to night photography. Technically, you’d want to shoot with a tripod (to keep your camera still), use longer shutter speeds and a bigger aperture, while keeping your ISO as low as possible.
f. What does the night bring out of a space that the day does not?
DR. The night brings out a different mood compared to the day as you’re able to isolate and control the focus of each scene depending on how you light up the space. As a longer shutter speed tends to be used more at night, you’re able to capture more movement and speed, creating in more dynamic images.
f. Why was the Nike Air Zoom Mariah release so well suited for this style of photography?
DR. The Air Zoom Mariah release is all about being a city hustler and moving fast around the urban environment. I think this not only suits my style of photography perfectly (as I love to capture movement and always aim to capture urban scenes in creative ways) but it also suits my lifestyle as a maker and creative, as I’m always on the move creating content when I’m not in the office working as an architect.
f. What’s in-store for you in the future?
DR. Keep doing what I’m doing and taking one day at a time. It can be busy at times doing both architecture and photography but that’s what makes it even more fun and challenging! I’m also currently planning a wedding with my fiancée for next year so that’s what my focus is on right now. Hopefully I’ll be able to do even bigger campaigns with Nike in the future!
The Air Zoom Mariah OG Flyknit is available via SNKRS and a select few retailers worldwide.
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