The Air Jordan XXXI paid homage to the Jordan I by bringing the Nike Swoosh back to a Jordan signature for the first time since that first sneaker, but adding the Jumpman logo to the side of the back and bringing a modern look to the classic colorways of their first shoe.
That appears to be the new trend as Jordan moves forward with new signatures. Rather than trying to reinvent new designs, they will take inspiration from the retro designs of old and bring them into the 21st century with a modern touch and new shoe technologies. Tuesday’s unveiling of the Air Jordan XXXII made that abundantly clear as the shoe takes notes from the Air Jordan II, but brings a modern look and shoe tech to the classic design.
The first thing to note is that the XXXII is the first Jordan signature to have a Flyknit upper, which will dramatically lighten the shoe and bring a flexible but stable fit. Where the XXXI was wildly comfortable, they did have a bit of a bulky feel, which the Flyknit material figures to improve on — the KDX also got Flyknit for the first time this year. The Flight Speed technology in the mid-sole also got a tune up to provide more cushioning.
As you can see, the II heavily influences the design, most notably with the ribbing on the back, which on the XXXII extends to wings on the side as well, and the winged “Air Jordan” logo on the tongue that famously adorns the II. The XXXII will release in both a midtop and lowtop, with the above “Rosso Corsa” colorway dropping in the midtop on September 23. Here’s another look at the all-red design that will be dropping first.
The “Bred” colorway will hit stores on October 18 in both a mid and low, with the mid more of an all-black look, while the low will feature white accents on the midsole.
