nike air jordan shoes blog

Air Jordan XVI (16)
Head Designer: Wilson Smith IIInba jerseys
Following the success of the XV’s there was no doubt that Nike/JB would continue to release Air Jordan’s.
china shoesThe XVI’s were the next shoe to hit the shelfs.

Hatfield moves onlight snow
The XVI’s were designed by Nike’s Senior Footwear Designer Wilson Smith. This meaning it was the first design since the III’s that Tinker Hatfield wasn’t behind. Hatfield was said to have moved up and he left Smith with the hard task in creating a revolutionary new design.
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Smith decided to bring in a few design elements/fabrics from earlier releases.cheap gucci For instance we saw the return of the clear rubber sole (V, VI, XI) and they also featured patent leather (XI).

Gaiter on – gaiter off
But what made the XVI’s unique was the brand new gaiter/shroud that covered the shoe and that could be removed to give the shoe a brand new look. Not only was this for stylish purposes, it also had a thermal functionality.

The shoe was a little stiff and to wear the shroud/gaiter when playing basketball really wasn’t a good idea, as it pretty easily could fall off. ceciliaThe black/red and white/mn navy both featured patent leather which very easily got creased and cracked. Best for playing in were the one’s without patent leater, for sure…
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The overall design was great and it’s great to see a new designer put his foot forward. cheap bagsHopefully we’ll see Wilson Smith involved in the work with coming designs.

Air Jordan X (10)
Head Designer: Tinker Hatfieldcheap brand t-shirts

Michael Jordan’s new found baseball career was interrupted when a player strike broke out.foot locker Rumours broke out that he would return to the basketball court and on March 19th 1995 Jordan was back on the floor.cheap eyeglasses

Surprised Nike?
It seemed as if Nike wasn’t expecting to see Jordan back in the game so soon. They started to re-release older model’s of the AJ series (I, II, III) and the X’s soles featured an honor or an award from each year Michael had spent in the NBA.brand t
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Apart from these soles the design was no real surprise and was overall very plain. Hatfield picked up a few design elements from previous models and you could see some obvious signs of influence from the III’s, the V’s and the VI’s.

Samplemania continues
If the IX’s had a lot of different samples, the X’s were even worse. cheap adidas shoesThere were a lot of different team colors that were produced in limited quantities and there were samples with numbers for a lot of different players in the NBA. As Michael wore number 45 when he returned there were also samples with #45 stitched on the shoes.jordan shoes
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This was it. The first shoe after Michael’s retirement. It could’t have been easy for Nike/JB to decide to release a shoe when the athlete that was 100% handbagsconnected to this product had just retired. air jordan shoesBut the decision turned out to be good.

Prada rip-off or original flying design
The design of the XV’s originated from the air craft X-15 which was developed by NASA during the 1950’s and was, to say the least, a bit radical.cheap air jordans

The tounge of the shoe was sticking out in a style that very much made your thoughts go directly to Michael himself and his tounge sticking out. The sides of the shoe were in a woven pattern.

Many people said this was a rip-off of a Prada shoe when it comes to the red stripe at the back of the shoe. Maybe the Prada shoes were inspiration sources for Hatfield as well, but that’s very uncertain.

The slip-on Moc
This time there were not only high and low-tops released but also so called Mocs. Stylish and cool to be worn in summertime or on the beach but maybe not that great to ball in.

If there were many factory variants women shoeswhen it came to the XIV’s then we’d have to say that for the XV’s there was an army of them. wholesale adidas shoesOnce again in horrible colors and very bad quality.

The Air Jordan Retro XXI basketball shoe features luxurious Italian suedes and full-grain leather upper provides durability and super-soft feel. Forefoot breathability features are combined with a durable textile for support and durability in key performance areas.cheap kappa

Extended heel counter construction provides enhanced ankle support. New foam-backed, quilted collar complements the seamless booty construction to provide maximum comfort. china cheap air jordans
Breathable mesh is brought to the tongue to dissipate heat, while the adjustable tongue cover flips up to expose the breathable technology, or flips down for a more sophisticated look. Double-lasted Phylon™ midsole provides a low-profile stance.
cheap wholesale Evolution of the I.P.S.(Independent Podular Suspension) now includes interchangeable cushioning technology with a customizable heel zoom pillar or heel-encapsulated pillar. Carbon fiber shank plate offers midfoot and arch support. I.P.S. technology is integrated with the outsole through raised herringbone pods for traction in strategic performance areas. New, innovative outsole pattern offers multi-directional traction.>
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The biggest statement Michael Jordan ever made was with his game. Likewise, the stunning new Air Jordan XXI speaks loudest through its unbridled performance.

Ground-breaking technologies, such as sports car inspired venting, a new traction system and user-adjustable I.P.S. cushioning, set the stage for the next twenty years of Jordan in a shoe so fierce, it doesn’t have to say a word.

The Bulls got their third consecutive NBA title. Jordan himself got his seventh straight scoring title and reached a milestone in his NBA career when scoring his 20.000th point. Seemed as if nothing ever could stop this high flying athlete…

Hot and heavy
The eighth model of the Air Jordan was one heavy thing. Its base was clearly close to its predecessor but it had a lot more details, color and accents. It had cross-over velcro/leather straps and was so padded your foot got surprised.

Due to the thick padding the shoe was heavy and also easily got very warm. Who knows, maybe the heat could have been the reason why Michael was bothered with athlete’s foot infections during the season.

Where have all the flowers gone?
On the tounge of the White/Black and All-star versions you could almost make out a peace sign and some collectors came to call this the flower-power Air Jordan.

Very surprising was that this shoe was only made in three different color combinations. Previous models had sold very well and so did the VIII’s so it’s really a big surprise that Nike decided not to make more of these. Even the quantity of shoes being produced were lower than the VII’s.

The Air Jordan II (2)
Head Designer: Bruce Kilgore

Michael scored an average 37.1 points per game in the 86-87 season and became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to top 3,000 points in a season. In November/December he scored 40 points or more in nine straight games. On April 16th he scored a total of 61 points against the Atlanta Hawks setting a new NBA record. Michael also played in the All-Star Game, won the Slam-Dunk Championship, and was named to the All-NBA First Team.

No black leather in Italy?
The Air Jordan II was designed by Bruce Kilgore and just as its predecessor it showed a great innovative design. The low-tops were very stylish, produced in Italy and were far from the ordinary basketball shoe.

Surprisingly this is the only Air Jordan ever that has not been made in a black version. There were sketches and prototypes of a black leather AJ II but it never became reality. Why? …noone knows…

Another retro setback
The white/black AJ II’s were retroed in 1994 in limited quantities. Just like the I’s they sold very poorly and were found on discount racks on Footlockers nationwide.
Maybe a re-retro of this shoe is not very far away. The I’s were just released and they have been selling extremely well. Also maybe a retro+ model in black leather would be interesting, wouldn’t it?

Released November 1986
Along with a return trip to the All-Star game, Michael wins his first in a series of scoring titles, as well as the Slam-Dunk Championship. He becomes the first player since the 1960s to top 3,000 points in a single season. He plays nine straight games with 40 points or more. In short, Michael informs everyone why he’s destined to become the with 40 points or more. In short, Michael informs everyone why he’s destined to become the greatest player ever.

As you all know this was the start of a beautiful era.

In the 1984 NBA Draft, Michael was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 3 overall pick.
This was after seeing Jordan perform a wonderful three years in North Carolina and co-captain and star of the Olympic basketball team in 1984 which as you all know picked up the gold medal.

Nike understood that this player would turn out to be something else and signed him up to create a line of shoes and appearal.

Banned design – backlash or marketing trick
The Air Jordan I was designed by Peter Moore and marked a new era in basketball shoewear design.
There has been multiple fakes of this shoe and also other shoe brands made models where you could see lots of similarities with Air Jordan I.

The black/red model was banned by the NBA back in 1985 due to NBA color rules and this actually helped to create more publicity and interest for the shoes. Who knows, it might have been a marketing trick from Nike.

A great thing with the original Air Jordan I’s were that they came with a double set of laces to match the two different colors the shoe was made up in. For instance the black/red’s came with one set of black laces and one set of red laces.

Air Jordan III (3)
Head Designer: Tinker Hatfield

The 87-88 season was when Michael would receive his first NBA Most Valuable Player award. He also crushed the competition in the Slam Dunk contest and led the Bull’s to their best result since the 1974-75 season. Well he actually won all the major honors one can think of.

Hatfield takes over
The new shoe was excellent. The design was totally different from the AJ I and II and was the first pair of Air Jordans that showed a visible air sole. Behind it stood Tinker Hatfield who since then have designed every Air Jordan model up to the 15th.

This was also the very first Air Jordan to feature the Jumpman logotype instead of the Wings-logo that was on the I’s and II’s.
This might be one of the most popular Air Jordan’s ever. It has won numerous polls when questioning which the greatest sneaker through all times is. Air Jordan fans also freaked out when they retroed this model in 1994. Shoe stores once again had major problems selling them though.

Mars success
Nike created a personality ad campaign featuring the Mars Blackmon character who was created and played by director/actor Spike Lee.

This campaign followed Air Jordan for a couple of years and is definately one of the most appreciated Nike commercial series through all time.

I’d say that the Air Jordan III was a major reason to the Air Jordan line’s overall success.