The KNWLS x Air Max Muse sounds like another one of Nike’s experimental mashups. And there have been quite a few of those recently. But up close and in person, it’s actually a beautiful sneaker made to be worn on the runway.
“We wanted to create a completely new silhouette, something that felt like a cross between a dress shoe and a sports shoe,” say KNWLS co-founders Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault. Well, mission accomplished, Charlotte. Where Serena Williams’ design agency went for boardroom sleek with her Air Max loafer, and Air Afrique leaned formal with their Air Max Oxford, KNWLS tries something completely different. And it works.
Built on Nike’s chunkiest Air Max sole, the new design borrows the Muse’s distinct heel and underfoot arch but adds a pointed TPU toe, corset lacing, quilted panels, and a custom cage that screams rebellion. The result is a sneaker that could just as easily stomp through Milan Fashion Week as it could moonlight on a dance floor. “We referenced a toe shape from our FW20 collection, which feels both futuristic and strangely archaic,” Knowles explains.
In fact, when it debuted at KNWLS’ Spring/Summer 2026 show in Milan, people weren’t sure what they were looking at. “Is it a Nike Air Max sneaker disguised as a pump? Or maybe an Air Max ballet shoe dressed in armor?” asked Highsnobiety‘s Donovan Barnett.
The KNWLS x Nike Air Max Muse sneaker headlines an eight-piece capsule that drops October 14 on KNWLS’ site before hitting select retailers and Nike’s SNKRS app later in the month. There’s a corset, tops, pants, a bag, and the brand’s new hero item, the Scythe corset, made from Nike’s Flyknit sneaker yarns. “For this collection, we wanted to use Nike innovations in new ways to create timeless, appealing sportswear for women,” says Charlotte.
The campaign stars Nike sprinter Imani-Lara Lansiquot, model Soo Joo Park, contortionist Evgenia Nirka, and artists Crystallmess and VTSS.
On Instagram, sneakerheads have thoughts on the KNWLS x Nike Air Max Muse, too: “Wow.” “Obsessed.” Fire emojis everywhere.
