Did You Notice The ‘Made on iPad’ Nike Air Max 1 ’86s Tim Cook Wore During Apple’s ‘Let Loose’ Event?

Apple CEO Tim Cook today wore his usual casual garb during Apple’s Let Loose event on Tuesday. However, he also rocked a one-of-a-kind pair of “Made on iPad” Nike Air Max 1 ’86s on his feet that are sure to become the inaccessible golden grail for both Nike and Apple collectors.

Cook’s cool kicks featured an Apple Pencil-inspired Swoosh and “Made on iPad” handwritten on the shoes’ tongue. The shoes also had an off-white mesh body and sole. Meanwhile, the mudguard and toe included a unique soft “wave” effect and a rainbow-speckled pattern. The design also included decorative stitching surrounding the Nike Swoosh, and the heel mimicked the lines of a sketch, a nod to the Apple Pencil Pro.

The sneakers were custom-designed for the Let Loose event, where Apple debuted its M2 iPad Air and M4 iPad Pro, as well as a new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard. Apple also unveiled updated versions of its Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro apps for the iPad Pro.

As noted by Hypebeast, these custom Nike Air Max 1 ’86s aren’t available in physical stores or anywhere online — nor will they ever be. They were made solely to promote the new iPad lineup that was unveiled at the event.

From Sarah Kearns at Hypebeast:

Building on Apple’s longstanding history of collaborations, Cook wore Nike Air Max 1 ’86s that were designed to accompany the unveiling of the revamped iPad Pro with the M4 chip and the new Apple Pencil Pro. […]

Decorative stitching surrounding the Swoosh and on the heel nodded to the Apple Pencil Pro, mimicking the lines of a sketch. The Swoosh also appears on the tongue of the ‘86s, along with the handwritten words “Made on iPad.”

Cook’s custom kicks should come as no great surprise, as Apple and Nike have long partnered on various projects. These include the Apple Watch, with Nike offering special Nike Sport Loop Bands for the Watch and Nike edition Apple Watches featuring custom watch faces.

Apple has included a Nike Running app on some of its devices for several years now. Before the launch of the Apple Watch, Tim Cook often wore a Nike FuelBand activity tracker.

In 2016, Nike announced that Cook had been named lead independent director. Cook has been a member of Nike’s board of directors since 2005, has acted as chair of the Board’s Compensation Committee, and serves as a member of the company’s Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee.