Air Jordan 2011 Video

Thanks to Sneakernews for posting this video of the new Air Jordan 2011.  The video features Tinker Hatfield and Tom Luedecke and of course the Jordan 2011.

Air Jordan 5 Premio “BIN 23”

The internet is buzzing right now about the new images of the Air Jordan 5 Premio “BIN 23.” The Premio is a Jordan 5 covered in black leather with silver accents; including a semi speckled sole.  After the Jordon 5 Prime; the Jordan 5 is slowing becoming my second favorite Jordan behind the Jordan 1. The Premio is great looking shoe with a real classic feel, especially with the seal on the heel.  What do you think of the Air Jordan 5 Premio “BIN 23?” A lot more detailed pics after the break.

More Jordan Technicolor Tees

Last week we saw the emergence of the Jordan Technicolor Tees.  That was the Jordan 3, now two more shoes have gotten the Technicolor treatment.  The Jordan 7 and the Jordan 13, pictured above.  The 7 is printed on a white tee, but the 13 looks great with the black background.  These are available now at Jordan Brand retailers.  What do you all think of the Technicolor tees?  More pics after the break.

Nike Black History Month Pack

Nike and it subsidiaries Jordan Brand and Converse are come together to each make different shoes for Black History Month.  The shoes are the Kobe IV, Jordan III, Converse Hi and Air Force One.  Each one represents a historical player, except the Air Force One, Julius Irving, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.  I love the look of these shoes Black and Gold are always great colors and it works perfectly in this case. These are dropping on Monday January 17th, Martin Luther Kings Jr.’s birthday.

Jordan Brand Technicolor Tee

I am not the biggest fan of most shoe company tees, most are just a walking advertisement for the company.  This tee, however, is a walking art exhibit. The tee is a Technicolor drawing of an Air Jordan III and that’s all.  Most shirts would have an awesome image with the name plastered all over the shirt.  This is just the shoe, it speaks for itself. Check it out for yourself.  Karmaloop has this for sale and you can save with the code “jcam1981.”

*Bonus Post* Jordan 6-17-23 “Frankenstein”

What happens when you combine a Air Jordan 6 and 17?  You get the most beautiful creation, combining old school and new school.  The new Jordan hybrids have all been some of the nicest looking shoes in the basketball game and the 6-17-23, that’s really the name, is leading the pack right now.  Despite the name, the shoe is sporty and elegant. I especially love the music notes on the tongue and the colors work so well together. It’s times like these when I see hope for the future of the Jordan Brand.  Just like hybrid cars are the future of automobiles, hybrid shoes are the future of the shoe game.

It’s Trash Day–Air Jordan 2010

It’s trash day, time to take it out. We can all agree that the Air Jordan’s have a huge cult following and people will literally tear a store apart to get a new release.  We can also agree that Tinker Hatfield elevated shoe design from bland to legitimate art.  With all that said, what happened in 2010? The Air Jordan 2010 was debuted by Dwayne Wade in 2009 against the Golden State Warriors.  That’s when the first pics started hitting the blogs and sneakers sites.  There it was staring into my soul and I was staring right at his foot.  The Air Jordan 2010 has a window in the middle of the shoe.  I have seen clear shoes before and thought, wow what a ridiculous concept.  Those clear shoes are not around anymore and I don’t believe people were lining up to get a pair.  So why did Tinker and Michael think that we needed to see our foot when wearing the shoe?  The rest of the shoe is pretty much like all of the other basketball shoes on the market.  Some laser etching and some patent leather, but did we really need a circle window.  The internet didn’t think we did.  The blogs, forums and sneakerhead were all talking about the “window.”  Some sites even went a far as to post pictures of what the shoe would look like without the window.  It was the hot button issue all the way up to the release of the shoe in February.

Besides the window, the shoe is a step in the right direction.  What direction is that?  A direction away from some of the outrageous designs that came with the new millennium.  The shoes were starting to become more of an art design project than a functional basketball shoe.  We should have known things were taking a turn for the weird when they broke out the ankle strap on the Jordan 20.  Things are looking up for this years release.  The pictures are showing a normal, yet semi artsy shoe.  Dwayne also debuted these during the Christmas Day game and the Jordan 2011 are also releasing in February.  Let’s just be happy that Jordan Brand came to their senses and left the windows on the houses and off the shoes.  Don’ t they look so proud!

*Bonus Post* Air Jordan 2011 Part Deux

If you can’t wait for the February release date, then slide on over Marquee Sole.  They have the 2011 Air Jordan’s in white/grey in sizes 8.5 to 10.5.  The shoes are going for 259.99 plus $30 shipping, which mean I will be waiting until February to pick these up locally. The site looks sketchy at first, but if you research it every that has shopped there agrees they are for real.  They definitely an improvement over the 2010 Air Jordan’s. I really like the tongue with the jumpman logo on one side and the 23 on the other side. I grabbed the pictures so you guys can see the shoes from all angles. (via Marquee Sole)

Air Jordan 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

*Bonus Post* Jordan Prime 5

Everyone is in to hybrids these days and the Jordan Prime 5 is no exception.  The Prime 5 is a mix between the Air Jordan’s 1 and 5, respectfully.  The Grape-Ice color is my favorite and unlike most purple this one is neither hideous or annoying.  I am on the lookout for my next purchase and I definitely want to start picking up Jordan’s.  I think this one is a good starting off point even if it’s not a regular Air Jordan. The Prime’s come in many other colors if purple is not your thing.  I love the 3M style tongue and the signature lace lock. Just look how great they look with dark denim; they seem like they were built for dark jeans. These are available right now at Extra Butter (where I got the pics) or on eBay.

Jordan’s Mobile Inspiration

Michael Jordan is know for using inspiration in his everyday life to help with shoe design.  Jordan also has a thing for cars, motorcycles and jets.  Five pairs of his shoes are modeled after the three vehicles I just mentioned. The Air Jordan XIV(14), XVIII (18) and XXII (22); each one focuses on a single vehicle.  I chose these three with direct inspiration, two focus on car design and the last using a fighter jet as a model. Using things with speed and style are a no brainer in the shoe department, these elements go hand and hand with the basketball game. Let’s take a look at how and what inspirations were used in the designing of these shoes.

Air Jordan XIV

I can’t mention Nike shoe design with out mentioning Tinker Hatfield.  Tinker is the lead shoe designer for Nike and has been for a while.  Tinker is responsible for designing Air Jordan’s 3 thru 15 and has come back to design three more shoes, including the most recent, 2010 model.  The Air XIV was modeled after Michael’s personal Ferrari 550 Maranello. In 1999, this was the top of the line Ferrari, retailing for over $200,000 and it was also the fastest production Ferrari that year.  These are just the attributes you want in a shoe; one that makes you extremely fast and costs you an arm and a leg.  The details are in the shoe; sleek lines, overall aerodynamic look and even the Jordan symbol is in a yellow badge like the Ferrari symbol.  I love the look of this shoe, it shows the transition from a rounder basketball shoe into futuristic more, well, sports car look.

Air Jordan XVIII

This shoe doesn’t speak to me as much as the other two.  The Air Jordan XVIII (18) is designed with the Lamborghini Murcielago as the main inspiration.  The one piece look with the lace cover definitely speaks to the Italian sports car, but that’s really were it ends.  The overall look of the shoe is bland and only the all black color looks good.  Tinker wasn’t involved in the design of this shoe and you can really see because it lacks the detail of his models.  Jordan struck gold with the first car modeled shoe,18, but he came  up short four shoes later.  One good thing about the shoe is it’s not overdone.  It’s simple and elegant just like the car; even though most Lamborghini’s are loud and massively wide cars. If you’re buying all three models buy this one last , because the next one is special.

Air Jordan XXII

This one would hold a special place in my heart, if I owned this shoe.  It’s modeled after the F-22 Raptor or as I knew it the X-22.  I used to work for the U.S. Air Force and my base was the prime testing base for the X-22 Raptor.  It’s America’s premier fighter jet and has the sleek, sexiness of a 21st century fighter jet.  The shoe has the same look and feel. It features a camo pattern on the heel with a clear window like the cockpit of a F-22.  The stitching was designed with the jets radar in mind and there are vents to disperse heat evenly, similar to the jet.  Everything about this shoe is 22. The model is the 22nd Jordan, it was modeled after the F-22 and the shoe using ultra lightweight titanium (the element number is 22, thanks Kicks on Fire)  This shoe even has the classic basketball shoe look of the 80’s and 90’s, that I love shoe much.  This is a must have if you are a Jordan collector or even just a sneakerhead.  The Jordan 22 is the best of the three.

 

Each shoe has found inspiration in moving objects, whether it is speed, style or flight.  These are important elements of the modern game of basketball.  Who doesn’t love watching the high flying, acrobatic of a player as they dunk the ball.  Even the style, the best players have the most style on and off the court.  I think Michael knew that his shoes were being worn as causal shoes and less of an on the court shoe.  You can really see this trend as the shoes move into the 21st century.  I have said it before; if your looking for a shoe to play hoops in, try the Nike Hypermax.

*Bonus Post* New Air Jordan 2011

Here’s the new image of the 2011 Jordan’s.  I am not really sure how I feel about these yet.  I absolutely hated the 2010 with the crazy window, just wait until Friday, and the most of the recent releases have been less basketball and more fashion.  These however look like a great combination of fashion and functionality.  If you watched the Miami Heat game on Christmas Day then you saw Dwayne Wade wearing these in the Varsity Red/White colorway.  This pic is of a guy from overseas who got a hold of these before the February 19th release date.  What do you all think? (pics via Nice Kicks)

*Bonus Post* Introducing the Lebron Jordan’s?

I just ran across this article about a new shoe coming in 2011.  Aaron Fraser, CEO of footwear startup Lebron Jordan Inc., has created a new shoe company combining Lebron James’ name and Michael Jordan’s name. Fraser, who runs a network of online dating sites, decided we were missing something in the shoe game.  What did he come up with?  A shoe that looks like a combination of an Adidas Megaride, Nike Shox, and a Jordan Brand running shoe.  I have no idea if the shoe is designed for basketball, because the shoe is a low top running shoe design.  Fraser has also made two other shoe that look like a combination of a P F Flyer and a hi top converse. The Lebron Jordan signature model is going for $99 dollars with $3 dollars going to nonprofits that help the needy with shoes.  Fraser financed the whole projects with revenue from Google ads.  He wants to be a direct Nike competitor and 2011 is when the battle will begin.  I don’t think Nike or any other shoe competitor is worried about the Lebron Jordan’s selling.  Why you ask?  They are hideous and you will be lucky to keep you ankle in one piece. I applaud Mr. Fraser for his efforts, but I think it is a joke and he is riding the coat tails of two of the best NBA players. You be the judge. Check out the website www.lebronjordan.com

Wednesday Rant–Over Saturation of the Market

It’s Wednesday, time for a rant! We can all agree that Jordan Brand makes some of the best shoes in the basketball game.  People will line up for days to try and get a pair of these latest sneaks.  So why do they feel the need to release so many non essential pairs of shoes.  I am not talking about the other player model, those are the only other shoes that make sense.  I am talking about the millions of slides I see everyday and the more casual shoes they offer.  Nike makes tons of great casual shoes. Why ruin the Jordan name with crappy versions of their signature models? The CMFT is the latest bastardization of the brand name.  The look like running shoes mixed with different Jordan shoes.  CMFT is an acronym for comfort which makes sense, but what doesn’t make sense is the need for a Jordan running shoe. They make training shoes, pre game shoes, after the game shoes and shoes to lounge around the house.  It looks like they are trying to make it so you are wearing Jordan Brand at all times of the day. That’s fine with me; make lots of money it’s the America way.  The only problem is that the shoes are horrible and down right cheap looking.  The may be modeled after Air Jordan’s, but they end up looking like a copycat, fake version of an actual Air Jordan.

Air Jordan’s were the most expensive Nike on the market, and it meant something when you were wearing a pair of these shoes.  When I was in high school, kids were judged on the shoes they were wearing and if you were rocking Jordan’s, than you were part of the elite. So with all the new additions, the name Jordan is cheapened.  I am not talking to the sneakerhead circles, we all know the value of shoes. I am talking about random people or acquaintance. who don’t have any idea about sneakers.  The people you are trying to impress; don’t act like you spend thousands of dollars on shoes and only buy the rarest pairs for yourself.  Jordan Brand should have just stuck with making a new pair of Jordan’s each year and all the other player models.  I am pretty sure the brand can make enough money off of the retro they have been releasing each year.  Yon don’t need to add more crappy running shoes or training shoes, when your parent company Nikes make far superior running and training shoes. Let’s bring back the Jordan Brand I used to know and love, the same brand that has revolutionized the basketball shoe and continues to sell a basketball shoe for a player that hasn’t played since 2003. Bring back Jordan shoe greatness and leave everything else to Nike.

Jordan’s New Shoes? VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL