The best Nike TNs of all time, ranked
Taking into account collectability, design credentials and cultural influence, with some help from a collector, we’ve rounded up the best of the de facto eshay uniform: the Nike TN
By Cayle Reid
IF THERE IS a single shoe that has defined the language of the streets over the last decade, it’s the Nike Air Max Plus – or as it’s more commonly known, the Nike TN. First launched in 1998, the TN has become a global success, a constantly evolving reflection of what the kids really want to wear, with hundreds of different colourways, variants and collabs being released over the years to widespread acclaim.
The TN is popular worldwide, spawning a devoted community that eagerly awaits every new drop and obsesses over the finest details – like how Vietnamese manufactured TNs are purportedly far superior to their Indonesian-made counterparts. But while TNs are popular worldwide, their renown reaches entirely different heights in Australia, where they have become a symbol of the eshay lifestyle – and if there are eshays reading this, please forgive us for not referring to TNs as Ntays.
The appeal of the TN as opposed to other Nike shoes, according to self-professed Sydney-based expert Jackson Tonna, who owns “around 50 TNs”, is difficult to pin down but revolves around the shoe’s ability to serve as a blank canvas for myriad colour schemes. “For me, it’s all about the look,” Tonna says. “They just look so good on foot, and there’s so many different parts of the shoe that can have different colours and gradients, which means you can have heaps of different variants and so many styles for one shoe.”
Tonna has been collecting TNs since he was 16, amassing a set that rivals the stock of a Foot Locker store. He wasn’t much of a sneakerhead before purchasing his first pair, but was quickly drawn in by the community. “I didn’t even really mean to get into TNs, I just bought a few pairs, got carried away and joined all these Facebook groups – and they’ve got such a crazy community going on – and it ended up becoming almost like an obsession,” he says. “There’s big subcultures as well for repainting and restoration. People do sole swaps and custom designs. There’s so much going on.”
The demographics of TN-wearers are changing. Previously the uniform of graffiti artists – resulting in the shoes being banned from many clubs and licensed venues across Australia – in more recent years, the notoriety of TNs has softened, allowing them to become a staple of the streetwear scene at-large, as they no longer strictly signify eshay status. “About 10-15 years ago, you had to be a bit of a f*ckhead to be wearing TNs,” Tonna admits. “Everywhere you go now, you’ll see someone wearing TNs. And it’s not just eshays and lads, it’s people you wouldn’t expect.”
As Tonna emphasises, a good chunk of the appeal of TNs is their customisability. Nike clearly understands this, meeting demand with a plethora of different colourways, variants and re-releases over the years. But which ones stand out above the rest? Find out below.
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Honourable mention: Nike Air Max Plus ‘Lava’
The striking, all-red colour palette of the Lavas attracted many-a-customer when they were first released – including Tonna, who owns three pairs – and the boldness of their design nearly earn them a place on this list. But as our expert explains, they do come with some downsides. “They can look really good when they’re fresh, but as soon as you wear them once or twice and they get dirty, they look pumped,” Tonna says. “I will say that the UK release of them is much better than the Australian one though.”
10. Nike Air Max Plus x F.C. Barcelona x Patta ‘Culers del Món’
Recently, the TN has been the subject of a number of collabs with pro sports teams, as its influence continues to grow in continental Europe. This collab with Spanish football club Barcelona is the best of the bunch, however. The ‘Culers del Món’ was created in partnership with Dutch streetwear label Patta and is draped in the colours of Barcelona FC, with a fluid royal blue and noble red gradient painting the upper. Barcelona’s club crest sits on the dubraes, while the lace tips are coloured with the stripes of the Catalonian flag.
9. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Tide’
It’s not often that Australia is at the centre of the style universe, but such is the nation’s obsession with TNs that it commands the occasional region-exclusive release. The Tide is one such release, sending collectors into a frenzy when the Australian-only sky blue, red and white colourway dropped back in 2022. It remains one of the more difficult pairs to attain in the TN catalogue.
8. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Pink Fade’
The Fade range of TNs, which all feature a gradient colour scheme where a solid primary tone fades into white, has an enthusiastic following. We think that the Pink Fades, released in 2020, are the best of the range. Given the bright pink palette, we’d have to assume that you won’t see too many eshays wearing this TN, but if anything, that only increases its appeal.
7. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Sanguine’
Black and red is a popular TN colour combination, but no other black and red combo comes close to the original 2004 Sanguine. The primary varsity red is vibrant without being showy and meshes perfectly with the more subtle black undertones. The veins enhance the gradient effect, resulting in a versatile TN that goes with just about anything.
6. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Greedy’
An ode to the two original TN colourways (which you’ll see more of later on), the Greedy is perfectly split down the middle with wildly contrasting colours. On one side you’ll find the tones of the original Hyper Blues, and on the other, the Tigers. It’s not that orange and blue go together particularly well, but the significance of both of the Greedy’s inspirations make it highly valued among the TN fandom. “These are really cool, a real eye catcher, and not too many people I know actually have them,” says Tonna. “The laces on them are called Tuned Laces, and the aglets are yellow and it says ‘Tuned in 1998’ on them. The laces alone can sell for hundreds.”
5. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Voltage Purple’
While they were only released this year, the Voltage Purple TNs have been a long time coming, as Tonna explains. “In some of the original sketches of the first TN from the creator, Sean McDowell, you can see a shoe that looks like the Voltage Purple.” As Tonna says, the Voltage Purple was inspired by an early development sketch of the first TN, and if you ask him, it’s even better than the original. “This is one of my favourite of all TN styles. The deep purple on them just looks so good and they’re so clean.”
4. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Hyper Blue’
No TN collection is complete without a pair of original 1998 Hyper Blues, the TN that started it all as what Sean McDowell’s purple sketch would eventually become. “They’re the staple, the most classic of all of them. It’s the one everyone has to have,” Tonna says. Subsequent re-releases have been similarly popular, ensuring that the Hyper Blues remain a bestseller more than 25 years after their initial release.
3. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Sunset’
There are a pair of TNs that are the subjects of heated debate in the TN community due to some shared resemblance. “Sunsets are very similar, visually, to Tigers, but they’ve got a slightly different gradient on them,” Tonna explains. Yes, Sunsets and Tigers do look awfully similar, but you can’t have too much of a good thing. Even though their differences from Tigers may be minute, Sunsets are still one of the best TNs out there. “The Sunset colourway goes from a bright yellow to a deep orange, which looks great in contrast with the black veins,” says Tonna.
2. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Tiger’
The other half of the Sunsets vs Tigers debate is of course, the Tiger. Featuring a slightly lighter shade of orange than Sunsets, the Tiger was the second TN to ever be released after the Hyper Blues and it remains a classic a quarter-century on. So, how did we decide whether the Sunset or Tiger should place higher on this list? We put it to Tonna of course, who didn’t take the decision lightly. “F*ck me, that’s tough,” he says. “I’d say Tigers are slightly better, just because I prefer the gradient fade being more bold and violent. Plus, they’re one of the OG TNs.”
1. Nike Air Max Plus ‘Machete’
We love an underdog, and the Machete is as big of a roughie as they come, but we can’t look past it as the best TN of all time. Also known as the Zebre, the Machete is an Australian exclusive that was first released in 2010. With a hard-hitting black, red and white colour scheme, Machetes were immediate hits with collectors and are still tough to come by today, as Tonna can attest. “These are hard to find. I got mine on Facebook marketplace for around $800 and they’re my favourite of every shoe I own,” he says. “I’ve only worn them twice because I don’t want to ruin them. They’re just the best looking TN out there.”
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