WHILE most people were celebrating Easter this weekend, trainer enthusiasts took the opportunity to mark a less well known date on the calendar.

Saturday was international Air Max Day, marking 29 years since the arrival of what was to become an iconic feature of sneaker and streetwear culture – the Nike Air Max 1.

Andy Knight, 36, co-owner of independent men’s fashion store The Forum in the Brunel Centre, has been collecting Air Max trainers since around 2000.

His impressive collection now features 87 pairs in honour of the first year they were made.

On Saturday he took the opportunity to mark Air Max Day by displaying them for all to see in the front window of The Forum.

Andy said: “For me it’s the most iconic trainer in sneaker history, it’s branched off a lot over the years but people always revert back to the icons.

Andy’s collection includes his personal favourites the 2010’s ‘Burgundy Patta’ and a striking black and pink design released in 2005 known as ‘Kidrobot’.

Some of the most sought-after designs in his collection could be worth as much as £2,000 but Andy has no intention of selling them.

He said: “I bought my first pair in about 2000, I could never afford trainers when I was growing up so when I started earning my own cash I bought them.

“I skateboarded as a kid and streetwear has always been a passion of mine.”

Air Max trainers continue to be released by Nike in new styles and colours, The Forum sells some of the range and Andy says they are still as popular as ever.

As part of their Air Max Day event, The Forum welcomed Matt Cole from Swindon-based Fresh On Every Sneaker to the store.

Matt specialises in customising and restoring sneakers and is also an enthusiastic collector himself.

In a sign of how popular the classic trainer market continues to be, he has recently set up his own business working on trainers and has been in great demand.

He said: “For collectors, restoration is a must – you can’t just go out and buy another pair, to find some of these is rare let alone in your size and available.

“It’s a passion for me, some people might just see an old pair of trainers but I love working on them and fixing them up to give back to people.”