Follow the Air Max footprints that start at Exit 3 of Seongsu Station (Musinsa Station) on Subway Line 2, and you’ll come across a neon bus stop and a red sofa. The Seongsu-dong map posted at the stop marks Musinsa Store locations as oversized footprints, leading visitors through the neighborhood like a playful treasure map.
Tourists paused to snap photos of a woman in pajamas lounging unabashedly on the sofa, reading a book, and an older man striking a pose against a convex mirror with his legs splayed. Some walked up thinking they were real people, then laughed when they realized they were mannequins—exactly the kind of cheeky surprise the pop-up aims for.
Musinsa Store Seongsu is hosting an Air Max 95 pop-up with Nike through the 15th as part of its campaign ahead of the annual Air Max Day on March 26. The concept places imagery of people who confidently walk their own path all over Seongsu-dong, delivering the campaign message, "Transcend Influence."
The bus stop is stocked with ticket-shaped leaflets and coupon-style flyers. Detach a coupon and bring it to the Musinsa Store Seongsu pop-up to enter a lucky draw—small perks that make the experience feel like a scavenger hunt.
Kim Serim, team leader of Musinsa’s Brand Marketing Team 2, said the idea was to make Musinsa and Air Max visible everywhere in Seongsu-dong. From photo-ready installations to doormats used as lucky-draw prizes and bold campaign messaging, the brand planted the Air Max world throughout the neighborhood.
Step inside Musinsa Store Seongsu and a giant mirror photo zone steals the show. Organizers placed an upside-down image of Musinsa’s Daerim Warehouse exterior beneath the mirror so when you lie on the floor you appear to be hanging from the wall—an irresistible setup for tourists striking inventive poses for keepsake photos.
The pop-up also features a station for printing phone photos and decorating them with stickers and other embellishments. For the lucky draw, the space is dressed in neon giant footprints to echo the iconic neon colorway of the original Air Max 95.
Air Max was the model where Nike first introduced an air cushion in the outsole in 1987. The 1995 Air Max 95, inspired by human anatomy—muscles, ribs and the spine—reframed the air cushion as a design element rather than just a tech feature. That shift is what helped the Air Max 95 become a cultural icon for Nike.
More than 30 years after its debut, the Air Max 95 still sells out with every reissue, earning a living-legend status. It’s a favorite of many Korean celebrities—Big Bang’s G-Dragon and Taeyang, actor Ha Jung-woo, and Girls’ Generation’s Yoona among them—and even drew attention in the U.S. when Kim Kardashian was spotted wearing the Air Max 95 Pink Foam.
With this collaboration, Nike aims to reaffirm the Air Max 95’s cross-generational appeal and influence, targeting teens through people in their 30s. Musinsa Store Seongsu gets 80% of its sales from that demographic, and over half its visitors are international—making it an ideal partner for a global brand like Nike.
Through the collaboration, Musinsa will exclusively release the new Air Max 95 Silver and Burgundy models in Korea. Ahead of the official launch on the 26th, pop-up visitors can enjoy early-purchase access to limited stock starting on the 11th.
A Musinsa representative said the Nike Air Max 95 pop-up demonstrates Musinsa’s ability to plan branding collaborations not only with domestic labels but also with global partners. Related content will roll out in stages to coincide with the exclusive product launch on the 26th.
