The Air Max 97 quickly became a popular choice in Italian street fashion following its initial launch. Its presence was so widespread across the country that Nike collaborated with renowned Italian design agency KALEIDOSCOPE to publish a book in 2017 entitled "Le Silver", which chronicled the sneaker's oral history in 90s Milan. In early 2018, as a homage to Italy, Nike introduced the 'Italy Gold' colorway, featuring a gold upper complemented by the colors of the Italian flag on the tongue and heel pull tab.