Drew Hammell tells us the true stories behind the Jordan brand and its portfolio of standout releases. This time, he talks about the history of the Air Jordan 3. Let’s learn about the history of this shoe with Storepc.
The shoes that saved the brand named Air Jordan 3
As one of the most popular Air Jordan models ever, the Air Jordan 3 set a new standard in fashion and technology for Nike Michael Jordan sneakers. Like the Air Jordan 2, the Air Jordan 3 is a blend of sophistication and style.
Again, these sneakers don’t have the big Swoosh mark on the side. Instead, there’s just the Nike Air logo on the heel, along with three new key elements: a new Jumpman logo on the tongue, a gray elephant print print on the upper, and a visible Air unit on the heel. foot. This shoe also comes with the same $100 price tag as the Air Jordan 2.
However, at Nike in 1987, there was a problem. The designers of the first two Air Jordan shoes, Moore and Rob Strasser of Nike, both left the company within a week and started their own Van Grack brand. This complicates things for Nike and slows down production of the Air Jordan 3. On top of that, Jordan’s original contract with the brand is also about to expire. Moore and Strasser tried to lure Jordan away, telling him he could create his own empire with them instead of relying on Nike.
Great things have come to Nike, a young designer named Tinker Hatfield has participated in this image. The University of Oregon former architecture student and pole vaulter had a few early hits with Nike, the Air Max 1 and Air Trainer 1 running shoes. Both feature revolutionary designs. , the success helped Hatfield land a contract with the Air Jordan 3. Hatfield spoke to Jordan about what the Chicago Bulls star was looking for in a shoe: something of a moderate height instead of super-high heels. that people are going; something groundbreaking comfort right with soft, supple leather. Hatfield listened, and when it was time to speak, he was ready.
That’s exactly what he was looking for. Sleek design, cross-sectional height, soft full grain leather, elephant skin graphic design, and the most interesting thing is his own logo on the tongue. Jumpman is inspired by the famous 1984 image of Jordan jumping through the air to take a fall. Its front and center positioning tells Jordan he’s at the forefront of the brand. He has renewed his contract with Nike.
Most sneakerheads recall Jordan wearing the Air Jordan 3 for the first time during the 1988 NBA All-Star game. However, he regularly wore the “White Cement” model as early as November 1987 for several games. Jordan wore the Air Jordan 3s at All-Star Weekend in Chicago on his way to his second straight win in the Slam Dunk Competition with his signature pitch.
He also once wore a pair of “Black Cement” in the actual All-Star game. In front of 18,403 fans, Jordan dazzled his home crowd with 40 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks, winning the MVP. It was the only time all season Jordan wore black in a game.
To promote the new shoe model, there were extremely influential Air Jordan 3 commercials featuring the young Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon. Lee first played the character in his 1986 film She’s Gotta Have It. Blackmon, a geeky, athletic sneakerhead, accompanied Jordan for four years on television spots and print ads. The Wieden + Kennedy ad was a hit, sparking catchphrases like “It’s gotta be the shoes” and one of Jordan’s nicknames, “Money.”
Between Jordan’s standout All-Star Weekend, advertising, and the fact that he won’t be using the black version anymore, an iconic shoe was born. Over the years, the Air Jordan 3 has been rewatched a dizzying number of times, with the classic “Black Cement” and “White Cement” colorways remaining the favorites. The “White Cement” version was re-released in 1994, 2003, 2011, 2013 and 2018, while the “Black Cement” version returned in 1994, 2001, 2008, 2011 and 2018.
In 2001, Jordan Brand also brought back “True Blue” and released the first non-OG colorway, as the “mocha” switched the Nike Air logo on the heel to the Jumpman Air logo on both. The Jumpman Heel was also present on the 2011 retros “White Cement” and “Black Cement”. The “Fire Red” color scheme didn’t become a classic until 2007. That year also saw the arrival of new colors “Pure Money”, “Black Cat” and “Do the Right Thing”. The next few years were pretty quiet for the Air Jordan 3, with the “True Blue” returning in 2009 and the “25th Anniversary” and “Doernbecher” models following in 2010 before a flurry of retros and new color in 2011.
By 2014, Jordan Brand partnered with SoleFly to launch the Air Jordan 3 “Lotto” for friends and family, and in 2017, atmos dropped both the Air Jordan 3 in safari and the Jordan 3-inspired Air Max 1. for Air Max Day. Last year’s “Black Cement” retro version, like the 2013 “White Cement” retro, restored the original Nike Air logo on the heel for the first time since 2001 and featured leather and print. The elephant image closely resembles the 1988 OG. To read more of the latest Sneaker news, visit Storepc’ blog to check it out. change the link Storepc to Blog
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