This New Nike Sneaker Is Getting Comparisons to UPS Uniforms

Nike’s classic Air Max 90 sneaker is getting a new fall-appropriate look that social media has been quick to compare to the uniforms of UPS drivers.

While it’s not an official collaboration, nor does it bear any markings or references to the United Parcel Service, it’s the Air Max 90’s colors alone that have been likened to the brown and gold of the global shipping company.

With a full colorway of Baroque Brown/Desert Ochre/Baroque Brown, nearly the entirety of this upcoming colorway has been colored in a dark brown which alternates between glossy and flat leather textures. The shoe’s tongue and heel branding, along with its signature visible Air Max window, are colored in a Desert Ochre which amounts to small accents of dark yellow.

The specific model used for this upcoming release is the Air Max 90 Essential+ (Ess+), a newer variation of the classic 1990 retro running shoe which features minor updates such as a ripstop tongue material. In addition to the Baroque Brown style, the sneaker will also be released in a similarly designed Cave Stone/Adobe/Cave Stone makeup.

While this particular Baroque Brown Air Max 90 doesn’t appear to have enough of a likeness to incur any trademark issue, Nike previously ran into intellectual property issues when giving another one of its classic sneakers a courier-inspired makeover.

Its 2021 Air Force 1 Experimental release featured unmistakable allusions to the United States Postal Service including rebranded logos and shipping boxes. The USPS caught wind of the shoe before its launch and issued a statement slamming Nike, but months later, the companies came to a resolution and the sneaker was released.

Ahead of a stateside release, the Nike Air Max 90 Essential+ is arriving in select markets now. The Baroque Brown has a style code of IH2063-200 and is expected to retail for $140. Readers can expect availability from nike.com and select Nike Sportswear stockists.