From questionably-inflatable midsoles to basketballs with built-in pumps that will have your teammates yelling at you for taking too long, user-inflated products have mostly sounded better on paper than they actually perform in reality.
But one company that knows a thing or two about air-infused innovation is Nike, whose latest A.I.R. Technology aims to bring actual usefulness to commoditized inflation in the form of a puffer jacket.
Nearly Five Decades in the Making
Nike’s been playing with Air since 1978, when it first stuffed pressurized gas into shoe midsoles to create some of the most iconic sneakers ever made. Now, the Swoosh is taking that same technology and applying it to outerwear with the Therma-FIT Air Milano Jacket — an inflatable puffer that you can pump up or deflate in seconds depending on how cold you are.
This isn’t Nike’s first rodeo with inflatable outerwear either. The brand’s been experimenting with air bladders in jackets for about 20 years, starting with its ACG line. The most notable of these experiments was the 2008 ACG Airvantage — a grailed piece among tech-wear collectors that could be inflated with a straw or hand pump. But where those early attempts felt more like proof-of-concept novelties, the Air Milano is a fully realized product that actually lets you regulate body temperature without having you layer.
How It Works
The Air Milano uses Nike’s new A.I.R. Technology (Adapt. Inflate. Regulate.) to create what they’re calling “dynamic warmth.” Deflated, the jacket feels like a lightweight hoodie or windbreaker. Fully inflated, it transforms into a mid-weight puffer. A small electric pump plugs into a port near your waist and fills the jacket in roughly 15 seconds. Pull a tab, and it deflates just as quickly.
The jacket itself is made from a two-layer composite laminate material that’s both durable enough to hold air and surprisingly soft to the touch — a notable upgrade from the typical plasticky feel of waterproof synthetics. Inside, computationally designed baffling patterns (inspired by the ACG logo) channel air throughout the garment, eliminating the need for traditional horizontal quilting that keeps down or synthetic fill in place.
Essentially, Nike’s basically created four different jackets in one. You can tune the warmth to match your activity level or the weather conditions without ever taking the thing off.
Built for Athletes, Designed for Everyone
The Air Milano will make its debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan as part of Team USA’s medal ceremony outfit. Each Team USA version features custom metallic twill branding, a custom ACG pump, and accessibility features like interior thumb loops and magnetic zippers designed specifically for Paralympic athletes.
Nike put the jacket through 380 hours of testing in Colorado, where athletes ran, hiked, biked, skied, and snowboarded in various conditions. The jacket also integrates with Nike’s broader FIT (Functional Innovative Technologies) system, complementing existing innovations like Dri-FIT moisture-wicking and Storm-FIT weather protection — tech that dates back to 1991 when Nike first introduced Therma-FIT as part of its original performance fabric lineup.
Spec Sheet
Model: Nike Therma-FIT Air Milano Jacket
Material: Two-layer composite laminate
Technology: A.I.R. (Adapt. Inflate. Regulate.), Dri-FIT moisture-wicking
Inflation Time: ~15 seconds
Warmth Range: Lightweight hoodie to mid-weight puffer
Debut: 2026 Winter Olympics, Milan
Release Date: TBD
Pricing & Availability
Nike hasn’t announced when (or if) the Air Milano will hit the consumer market, but the brand has confirmed it won’t be cheap when it does. For now, the jacket remains a Team USA exclusive for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Recap
Nike Therma-FIT Air Milano Inflatable Jacket
Nike’s bringing its iconic Air technology to outerwear with the Therma-FIT Air Milano, an inflatable puffer jacket that you can pump up or deflate in seconds to regulate warmth without changing layers.
