Air Jordan History - Jordan 27 - 36 (Part 3)
Rounding out the series where we take a brief look at the history of every signature Jordan released is part 3 looking at Jordans 27 through to the latest Jordan 36.
Air Jordan 27
Referencing a history of the game beyond MJ's alone, the Air Jordan 27 or 2012 looks back and pays respect to some of basketball's ancestors and cultural heritage. Seen in the wingtip-like shapes and perforations, the AJ 27 borrows from the story of a neighborhood in Portland, Oregon during the zoot suit era of the 1920s and 1930s.
Using the concept of "One Shoe, Three Flights," Tinker Hatfield and Tom Luedecke riffed on their interchangeable technology model from the season prior, this time with 3 removable booties. Flywire technology and a leather outer-shell gave the AJ 27 lightweight durability. Two inner sleeve choices offer players the option of low flexibility or high support. And three midsole options, termed "Quick", "Air", or "Explosive", let athletes build a shoe that fit their game.
Air Jordan 28
In 2013, with the introduction of the AJ XX8, came a sea change for the Air Jordan line. Performance footwear had never seen anything like it. Within its unique, boot-high casing was veiled a surprisingly responsive shoe with less weight than players had reasonably come to expect.
Personifying this new wave was a new face for the Jordan brand. Russell Westbrook unveiled the performance-packed Air Jordan XX8 in December 2012, proving that it - like himself, and MJ before him - were not to be underestimated.
Air Jordan 29
As a pioneer of innovation for nearly three decades, the Jordan brand once again pushed the envelope with the Air Jordan XX9 - the world's first woven basketball shoe. Drawing from Italian tailoring, the shoe had an entirely woven upper and set a new benchmark for the lightest Air Jordan ever.
Inspiration aside, the true drive behind the design was to attain maximum performance. A reengineered Flight Plate added explosiveness. An added tendril improved heel-to-toe transitions. A Flight Web fit system gave players superior mid-foot lockdown. This shoe wasn't built to change the game, it was meant to change an industry.
Air Jordan 30
With the third X comes an epic milestone in the Air Jordan lineage. Three decades of innovation and accomplishment culminate here, in a shoe for the ages. A celebration is in order, as again, sights are set toward the next frontier
For the Air Jordan XXX, Tinker purposely did not hint at any particular retro style. Instead, he chose the cosmos as the image that best represented MJ and his otherworldly talents.
Air Jordan 31
The AJ XXX pays its respects to the Air Jordan heritage in a way no other model yet has. From the brash, energetic figure MJ was in his Air Jordan Is, to the 30+ year legacy of Air that he inspired, the XXXI is the uniquely positioned to carry the torch and hold it high.
At the hands of designer Tate Kuerbis, three decades of Air Jordan footwear innovation come together as the Air Jordan XXX. For the first time ever, the iconic swoosh meets the legendary Jordan Jumpman and Wings logos on a single silhouette. With Flyweave, modern construction finds its voice and the runway for the future of Jordan is cleared.
Air Jordan 32
Inspired by the Air Jordan I - the Italian-made, first-ever luxury basketball shoe - the Air Jordan XXXII represents the intersection where luxury craft meets modern innovation. But while its look may salute the past, the AJXXXII puts its foot squarely into the modern age, pairing premium materials with performance technologies and proving that style and function truly can be synonymous.
Brought to life by designer Tate Kuerbis, high-quality leathers accentuate an unmasked Flyknit upper, with integrated laces, and FlightSpeed technology for a more explosive step. An exaggerated and stylized collar delivers strengthened, lateral support. And for the first time ever in the Air Jordan line, the high and low model release together.
Air Jordan 33
From day one, flight has been central to the game of basketball. And Jordan Brand innovation has been key in assisting athletes as they prepare for takeoff. With the AJ XXXIll, Air Jordan technology takes a daring leap forward, utterly abandoning convention with the new FastFit entry, tightening, and release system.
Inspired by flight utility, the AJ XXXIlI derives its bold form from visible technology while tastefully integrating design elements of the Air Jordan Ill. Functionally, the revelutionary new FastFit system supplies ultimate lockdown support. A knit textile upper combined with a carbon reinforced FlightSpeed Plate and Zoom Air Unit reduces weight while providing the necessary propulsion for takeoff.
Air Jordan 34
The future of flight is rooted in a foundation of excellence. That uncompromising commitment to deliver the best in performance innovation is unmistakably Jordan. And now, AJ XXXIV is one of Jordan's lightest game shoes ever made, providing explosiveness, dynamic control and responsiveness
in any direction. It's everything athletes need and nothing they don't.
Designed using a concise philosophy of amplified reduction, the AJ XXXIV eliminates distractions, for athletes to fly high and be light on their feet without sacrificing stability. A sleek new Eclipse Plate, combined with visible Zoom Air technology and best-in-class herringbone traction, enables optimal explosion off the foot. After all, the freedom to fly demands a lightness to soar.
Air Jordan 35
No athlete soars without speed. In a 35-year trajectory of transforming speed into flight, the Air Jordan legacy continues in the AJ XXXV. An evolution of the Air Jordan 34, the 35 or XXXV was designed by pulling out weight in every way possible, focusing only on the essentials. The result? The fastest, most responsive Jordan game shoe yet. A basketball shoe built for the game's current and future stars, the Air Jordan XXXV couples an Eclipse Plate 2.0 with the first-ever Zoom Air cushioning system in both the forefoot and the heel, providing the ultimate responsiveness, stability and a propulsive feel. Merging new and iconic design elements, the Air Jordan XXXV is unapologetically the best.
Air Jordan 36
First-teased by German-American hooper Isatou “Satou” Sabally via social media, the model made its official on-court debut on March 25th, 2021; Jayson Tatum wore it against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of the first series in the 2020-21 NBA Playoffs. Akin to its direct predecessor (the Air Jordan 35), the latest silhouette takes design cues from the Air Jordan 5, namely the tall tongue and sunken heel. The upper, however, features an ostensibly reworked composite textile coupled with synthetic reinforcement around the forefoot, along the tongue and across the heel. Underfoot, the Jordan 36 also seems to introduce Eclipse Plate 3.0, the third iteration of the lightweight, but durable support system introduced on the Air Jordan 34. Throughout its lifecycle, the sneaker is likely to nod to heritage-colorways of the Air Jordan line, but the launch style of the latest design indulges in a vibrant mix of purple and orange.
