Soon after it was first released . the Air Max 97 became a staple of Italian street style. The silhouette was so ubiquitous throughout the country that Nike even partnered with Italian design agency KALEIDOSCOPE to commission a 2017 book—Le Silver—documenting the oral history of the sneaker in 90s Milan. As a tribute to the country . Nike dropped the ‘Italy Gold’ colorway in early 2018 . combining a gold upper with the colors of the Italian flag on the tongue and heel pull tab.