Air Jordan ---: The Next Frontier of Flight [Available 2/12/16]

Started by Poohdini, Jan 15, 2016, in Life Add to Reading List

  1. Poohdini
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    Jan 15, 2016
    https://s3.amazonaws.com/nikeinc/assets/51846/---.UNVEIL-43_native_1600.JPG?1452817233
    Exactly when the Air Jordan --- design journey began is up for debate. Arguments could be made for February 17, 1963, Michael Jordan’s birthday — or October 24, 1984, the day his Airness signed with Nike. There’s also April 1, 1985, when his first signature shoe hit market and February 6, 1988, the date he soared solo in Chicago as he debuted the Air Jordan III. There’s a litany of moments — game-winning shots, personal triumphs and titles — that form the Jordan legacy. But to dissect the journey is to miss the forest for the trees. The Air Jordan --- is a unique synthesis of Jordan’s evolution as a player and a design collaborator.

    Each of the shoe’s elements results from a key performance insight or design inspiration fundamental to the player and Jordan Brand’s evolutions. The start of the design process, however, tied to a significant, if lesser-known, date: a bitterly cold weekend in February 2015, when – during a pre-birthday party dinner — Jordan asked long-time design collaborator Tinker Hatfield to spearhead the design of the anniversary-marking shoe. “The next morning I drew a shoe,” Hatfield recalls, “because I knew I was in deep trouble. We had no time. Then I realized it wasn’t good enough to sketch a shoe. I asked for that particular photo of Michael in the slam dunk contest and then I drew.”
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    Tinker Hatfield's original Jordan --- sketch.
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    Hatfield reviewing samples.

    The photo in question, which featured MJ in the open lane, rising to the hoop, ball cocked behind his right ear and legs tucked under his body, activated Hatfield’s memories of 1988. It spurred the designer to add his own illustrations to the familiar image. The resulting artwork, which recapped Jordan’s history in unconventional ways, in turn inspired the shoe.
    An “---”, signifying 30, transformed into a basketball net. Stars symbolized the athlete’s otherworldly talents and planets orbiting the Jordan universe took on surfaces — elephant print or carbon fiber — related to innovations initiated by past Jordan models. Elaborating his drawing, with help of fellow designer Mark Smith, Hatfield broadened the Jordan narrative and formed the story of the Air Jordan ---, one that references a storied yet timeless lineage with an eye towards the future.
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    The approach, Hatfield notes, created a “nice sort of circle. Its all very internal, rather than the external story of being influenced by a car or architecture or music. Those have been good tools, but this one was different. It was just in my head, so to speak.”

    1. HEIGHT
    “I remember thinking about how silhouettes are important in the world of basketball, not just for performance – whether it’s a mid cut or high or low or something in-between – but as a hallmark of that year,” explains Hatfield, recalling how changing the top line of a shoe from one Jordan model to another became a standard brand practice. “We kept marveling at how we were able to keep the dimensions down and make it look slick,” says Hatfield. He also recalls that Jordan’s singular demand was to “make it look fast,” a request augmented by the “---” graphic that wraps the heel and extends through the forefoot.
    [​IMG]

    2. TOE
    Another trademark of later Jordan silhouettes is a smooth toe piece. “Michael has always been very infatuated with the toe-down look of a shoe,” notes Hatfield. A prime example can be seen on the XI, where the patent extends up the vamp so gracefully that its protective properties appear almost as an afterthought.
    [​IMG]

    3. TRACTION
    Less apparent than the collar and toe, but nonetheless important, is the traction treatment. The FlightSpeed architecture of the Air Jordan XX9, Hatfield explains, is “probably the best performing Jordan chassis we’d ever done.” Still, Hatfield and Smith didn’t just serve up a new herringbone pattern on the Air Jordan ---. Instead, they drew a new traction system inspired by the Jordan quote: “Excellence is never second place,” which has been rendered in 3D to serve the needs of pinnacle athletes, like Russell Westbrook.
    [​IMG]

    4. MATERIAL
    Since the brand’s inception, material interplay has also been critical to the success of Jordan silhouettes. Likewise, a proprietary mix defines the upper composition of the Air Jordan ---, which debuts an exclusive mix of woven, knit and printed materials.
    [​IMG]
    For Hatfield, it’s about putting the right characteristic in the right place. The woven upper provides “strength,” he explains, “and makes good sense for the body of the shoe, because you can bring in strength and graphic elements that are actually woven right in.” At the ankle and through the interior, knit offers “softness and breathability.”

    5. FIT
    Knit also allowed the designers to consider the shoe’s fit, from the inside out. “We go to great lengths to make sure that when you put on a shoe, your calcaneus, which is the bottom part of the heel or the bony part of the heel, is locked,” says Hatfield. On the Air Jordan ---, a knit cradle keeps the heel in place and at the same time reduces the amount of glue needed to make the shoe. “We should be gaining wisdom and learning from our mistakes and successes,” confirms Hatfield.

    The Air Jordan --- will be available globally on February 12, 2016 at select retail stores and Jordan.com.
     
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2016
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  2. Poohdini
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    Jan 15, 2016
    Will update w/ more colorways & release dates as they become available.

    How do you guys feel about these?
     
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  3. Music
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    Jan 15, 2016
    These look amazing
     
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  4. Poohdini
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    The logo on the tongue looks kinda awkward. It's almost like they forgot about it and said "f--- it, we'll just put it on the toe".
     
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  5. Music
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    Jan 15, 2016
    I agree, and the clear sole could have been designed a little better
     
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  6. Guma
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    Guma Dobry ruski, martwy ruski

    Jan 15, 2016
    They get weirder and weirder. I don't feel like wearing them on a daily basis. They are definitely only for court imo.
     
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  7. Guma
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    Guma Dobry ruski, martwy ruski

    Jan 15, 2016
    Same goes for almost every new Jordan model.
     
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  8. Poohdini
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    They've been like that since the 20s tbh. Last ones I'd think about rocking casually are prolly the 21s.
     
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  9. Guma
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    Guma Dobry ruski, martwy ruski

    Jan 15, 2016
    Even KD's and Lebron's are more casual-friendly than them sadly. Jordan fell off hardly. It's good they are still releasing retro's though.
     
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  10. pluto✰
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    pluto✰ where the opioids?

    Jan 15, 2016
    what happened to the design team for the retros :msnsad:
     
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  11. Poohdini
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    Same with the Kobe's. I'd love to use these on court but I just picked up the Kobe 11s. They're prolly gonna retail at $220+ so I'm just gonna wait til they're on sale.
     
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  12. Poohdini
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    Also a good colorway can do wonders for a shoe. For some reason the launch colorway is always one of the worst.
     
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