While that creative process will continue for the winners in the months to come as they perfect their shoes, their sample reveal at Nike WHQ showed the sheer scope of the steps involved in crafting their dream into a reality.

“Before this journey, I was not aware of these details behind the design process,” says Yuta Takuman, winner of the Tokyo vote and the designer of the Air Max 1 Tokyo Maze. “But now, I know more about the behind-the-scenes story of what it takes to make just one shoe, and it gives me a new perspective. There are so many different things that you have to think about.”

The inspiration came from both sides. As Nike designers and developers sat down with the winners and tinkered with the samples together, the Nike footwear teams were spurred on by the new creative energy put into the time-tested silhouettes.

“What the design teams and development teams found to be so energizing was the attention to detail that the winners pay to our products,” says Reggie Hunter, Product Line Manager for Nike Air Max. “All of the separate components were considered, from the outsole designs, to what the sockliner looked like. It’s refreshing to see how passionate they are about detail, and you saw it as they looked at their shoes.”