Air Jordan’s come with a hefty price tag, and there was a period where this was justified by marketing the shoes as a luxury item. From coming with their own brush and briefcase, to being inspired by Ferrari’s, Nike wanted you to feel like you were getting your money’s worth. We wanted to bring this focus to one of the earlier models though, the Air Jordan 4, creating a sneaker we think would look as suitable on the walls of a palace, as it would on your feet.
The upper of the shoe features a violet nubuck on the lower panels and a darker purple on the top panel. The mudguard comes in a pink-ish suede, and a metallic finish is present on the crown eyelets. White detailing is used on the lining and the laces, as well as the Jordan tag on the tongue, which comes in black and white. Dark purple is present on the midsole with a hint of black around the heel, and the look is finished with a white outsole.
Our concept has a very premium feel thanks to its rich colors and use of a range of materials, inspired by expensive rugs and bottles of wine. Fitting imagery for a shoe that features “Crown” eyelets. Yet the white accents around the silhouette of the sneaker outlines its shape and keeps the sneaker looking true to the Air Jordan 4. You see, Jordans often feature a dominant color, but they always use a couple of different colors to draw your attention to certain details that remind you of its status as a Jordan. The black and white Jordan tag is a perfect example of that.
The most interesting part of this sneaker for us was our choice to put such a bright color scheme on a suede and nubuck upper. Nubuck isn’t new to the Air Jordan 4, but particularly recently there has been a rise in popularity of softer materials and vivid colors being put on the silhouette. From Travis Scott’s blue ode to the Houston Oilers, to the re-release of the Air Jordan 4 lightning, colorful palettes on soft materials have been a winning combination for the Air Jordan 4. We decided to employ a similar tactic but using a less common color when it comes to Air Jordan’s, violet.
