words by Nick DePaula

Every summer we’re hit with a new batch of releases from Jordan Brand, and this season you’ll have your choice between indoor or outdoor hoops shoes, a fresh new turf inspired trainer and a performance update to the Air Jordan X to commemorate the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There’s even a new hybrid Jordan, this time celebrating Michael’s six championships.

The Jordan Six Rings, releasing in mid-August, combines the Air Jordan VI, VII, VIII, XI, XII, XIII and XIV all into one shoe set to retail for $150. Those models, of course, were worn by Michael during his six championship runs throughout the 1990s. The recognizable XIII tooling makes up the midsole and outsole, and the iconic XI upper can be seen in the black patent leather rand and black cordura mesh panel. The top two eyelets are inspired by the VIII and XII, with a portion of the VIII strap and XII lace clip providing a snug fit along the collar. The XII’s tongue text also is seen, as ‘TWO3′ is spelled vertically along the Six Rings’ tongue. There’s perforations from the VII along the patent overlay, and the VI can be seen in the rubberized heel pull tab and removable lace lock along the tongue. While subtle, the XIV actually inspired the toe’s shape, as at the bottom of the lacing set-up, the shape of the Six Rings draws from the XIV’s toe cap. Designed by Octavio Lubrano, the Six Rings is yet another hybrid concept building upon the success of the Dub Zero and Spiz’ike. Love it or hate it, the hybrid models appear to be here to stay.

In keeping with this year’s Italian design and craftsmanship theme that helped inspire the intricate stitch patterns found on the Air Jordan XX3, the Dentro and Esterno, both designed by Justin Taylor, will be released as a way of creating two opposite shoes that share a similar design language and inspiration. The Dentro, Italian for “inside,” is meant for hardwood use, while the Esterno, Italian for “outer,” is geared towards the blacktop. Both shoes incorporate a full-length dot-welled Air Sole unit, herringbone outsole, TPU midfoot shank and a performance mesh inner lining. The lining features an “MJ” graphic that gives a similar feel to Nike’s Sphere lining in that it raises parts of the mesh against the foot to allow for breathability. Along the heel of the Dentro, you’ll notice a series of Roman numerals reading XXIX.II, XI.VI and X.I, which are actually Michael’s game stats from his days as a Senior at Laney High School when he averaged 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 10.1 assists. The two shoes will release with several material combinations available at retail, ranging from nubuck, full grain leather and synthetic leather to patent leather, perforated leather and a texturized synthetic.

The Jordan JAQ, first releasing in July and priced at $100, is a football trainer designed to look like a football trainer, after Jordan Brand employees continually began to see people wearing trainers on the basketball court. Designed by Justin Taylor, it features a nubbed traction outsole, sharp outrigger, several mesh insets and also shares the same performance liner seen in the Dentro and Esterno. Along the medial side, the strap can be adjusted per the wearer’s taste for a variably tight fit. For cushioning, the JAQ offers DHIP, short for Dual Hardness Injected Phylon, at the heel and forefoot.

The Olympian, designed by Jason Mayden, will release in August for $125 and is also inspired by Italian craftsmanship and features detailed stitch patterns along the toe and at the ankle. The toe stitch pattern was first incorporated onto the Olympian, and then was carried over to the Olympic Retro 6 set to launch in the coming weeks. Just as the Jordan B’Loyal was inspired by the Jordan VI, the Olympian shares some familar design cues with the Jordan X, such as the striped outsole and large support overlay along the upper. While the Jordan X featured a full-length Air Sole unit, the Olympian improves upon comfort with the use of heel and forefoot Zoom Air for cushioning. Traction is also improved by the use of herringbone insets and a honey-comb like pattern also shared by the Dentro, Esterno and JAQ. For improved fit, a 3/4 length inner sleeve is incorporated along the inner of the shoe.

As the Air Jordan XX3 has enjoyed tremendous success thus far this year, there are three colorways of the XX3 Low scheduled to release this summer, priced at $150. The Low, designed by Jordan Brand Design Director D’Wayne Edwards and based on Tinker Hatfield’s XX3 Mid, features a modified tooling, as the TPU cradle seen on the Mid is only incorporated along the heel. It also showcases its Considered nature by featuring thick stitching along the upper as well as an environmentally preferred mesh along the collar. The Black/Dark Charcoal/Metallic Silver colorway is most daring, as the toe overlay features patent leather and the outsole is made of transculent rubber.

Below you’ll find pictures and release info on the aforementioned key releases for this summer season. For the full release calendar of this summer’s scheduled releases, check Jumpman23.com.

Jordan Six Rings 8.16.08 Black/Varsity Red/White $150

Jordan Dentro 7.1.08 White/Metallic Silver/Black $110

Jordan Dentro 7.1.08 Black/Metallic Silver/White $110

Jordan Dentro 7.1.08 Black/Metallic Silver/University Blue $110

Jordan Dentro 7.1.08 Black/Metallic Silver/Varsity Red $110

Jordan Dentro 8.1.08 Midnight Navy/Metallic Silver/White $110

Jordan Dentro 9.1.08 White/Metallic Silver/Black/Varsity Red $110

Jordan Dentro 9.1.08 White/Metallic Silver/Black/Varsity Maize $110

Jordan Esterno 6.28.08 Black/University Blue $115

Jordan Esterno 6.28.08 White/Varsity Red/Metallic Silver $115

Jordan Esterno 6.28.08 Black/Varisty Red $115

Jordan Esterno 9.1.08 White/Varsity Red/Black $115

Jordan Esterno 9.1.08 White/Metallic Gold/Midnight Navy $115

Jordan Esterno 9.1.08 Black/Metallic Silver/Varsity Maize $115

Jordan JAQ 7.1.08 White/Black $100

Jordan JAQ 8.1.08 Black/Varsity Red/White/Metallic Silver $100

Jordan JAQ 9.1.08 White/Metallic Silver/Obsidian $100

Jordan JAQ 9.1.08 Black/Varsity Maize/White $100

Jordan JAQ 9.1.08 Light Graphite/Varsity Maize/White $100

Jordan Olympian 8.9.08 White/Varsity Red/Black/Metallic Gold $125

Jordan Olympian 8.9.08 White/Metallic Gold/Varsity Red $125

Jordan Olympian 8.9.08 White/Metallic Silver/Midnight Navy/Metallic Gold $125

Jordan Olympian 8.9.08 Black/Metallic Silver/Dark Charcoal $125

Jordan Olympian 8.30.08 White/Varsity Red/Black $125

Jordan Olympian 8.30.08 White/Varsity Maize/Light Graphite/Stealth $125

Jordan XX3 Low 7.12.08 White/Varsity Red $135

Jordan XX3 Low 7.12.08 White/Midnight Navy/Silver $135

Jordan XX3 Low 8.30.08 Black/Dark Charcoal/Silver $135

(All Images Courtesy Jumpman23.com)

Popularity: 28%

Nike Ippeas

Equestrian

words & interview by Nick DePaula

While most of you know him as the man behind Jordan Brand’s Carmelo Anthony signature line and the Air Jordan XX1 and XX2, D’Wayne Edwards, Jordan Design Director, indeed designed the Nike Ippeas, Nike’s first foray into Equestrian. In a departure from his daily tasks at Jordan Brand, Edwards was given the project as a design challenge he was eager to face. Equipped with an asymmetrical zipper that allows the rider far greater ease of entry, the Ippeas also embarks on new territory in the traditionally far more conservative Equestrian boot market. Greek for Horse, the Ippeas also features a rubber traction inset at the forefoot, where normally a hard wooden sole can be found, providing the rider with greater traction and control while atop the sometimes unpredictable animal. It also features a full-length Zoom Air liner, improving upon century-old cushioning technologies found even today in competing boots.

Definitely one of the design gems of the Olympic Footwear collection, the Ippeas hasn’t gone unnoticed in the global design community, as it was recently named a reddot Award Winner. Since 1955, the Germany-based Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, one of the world’s most highly touted institutions of design, has been honoring noteworthy product design across thirteen product categories with its annual reddot award. This past year, a record number of 3,203 entries from fifty-one countries were nominated for consideration, and the international jury named the Ippeas one of 676 product designs worthy of the reddot “quality label for good design.”

I was able to catch up with D’Wayne Edwards for an exclusive phone conversation in which he detailed the design inspirations behind the Ippeas, how he was assigned to the project, as well as his limited history with horses.

Nick DePaula: How were you approached to design this shoe?

D’Wayne Edwards: Sean McDowell had put together an overall design strategy session for designers to come in and contribute to all of the different Olympic sports. He invited everyone to come, but I was unable to make it due to traveling. When I got back, I shot him an email to apologize that I wasn’t able to make it, but I asked him if there was anything that he needed help with. He got back to me, and said, “Actually, I heard that you have done a lot of casual and boot stuff in the past,” and he asked if I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at doing an Equestrian boot. I knew it would be a challenge, because I didn’t know anything about Equestrian and I had never even ridden a horse before. So I just looked at it as a design challenge more than anything else and a chance to expand my knowledge of different types of footwear that I could try and create.

So you’ve never ridden a horse yourself?

Maybe a pony. [laughs] I don’t know if that counts.

How long did the total process take?

Once I got the sketches from Sean, as there were some designs done beforehand of a different concept, it probably took just a couple days. I did some research on the sport and drew a few quick thumbnails and colored it up, and I gave Sean a call. I met with him and Julia Reopher, the lead developer on it, and they liked the sketch and the idea of fusing the Motorsports feel to it. They just didn’t know how the actual riders would like it because it’s such a traditional sport. Once the riders saw it, they actually loved it. It didn’t take that long actually, maybe less than a week.

Could you describe the challenges in designing a high performance Equestrian boot in what is traditionally a very conservative genre?

In my career, before I got to Nike, I was doing casual shoes and boots, so I’m familiar with that world. But what it needed to be as far as construction, I didn’t know anything about Equestrian as a sport. Just like anything else that I try and get after, I just started by grabbing books and starting to read about it and grabbing videos that a young lady who rides provided me with. I spoke with her about the different things that riders look for in their boots. One of the things I noticed in seeing photographs of the boots in action was that they have a lean-forward position on the horse, even though they’re going very slow. I had just come back from seeing the Jordan Motorsports team ride, and I thought it would be cool to influence and add some fast lines from a Motorsports boot to an Equestrian boot. It had the same stance as a Motorcyle rider, it’s just that they’re going about three miles an hour. [laughs] So I thought it would be cool to make the boot look faster than they normally look, plus I also approached it more from the stance that it is Nike, and people wouldn’t expect Nike to just do another clean and simple boot either. So, I just took some liberties from that point and thought about how I could influence and combine Nike design and technology into a design that is generally a lot more traditional. The idea was to make this traditional sport look a little more unconventional, yet not jeopardize the simplistic nature that they’re used to.

Have you heard feedback from riders who’ve worn the boot? How’d they like the Zoom Air feel?

Immediately after we got the first prototypes, we sent them out to the first riders to test it, and they loved it. They loved the idea of taking their sport and making it a little bit more, for lack of a better word, sexy. They loved that it was more aggressive and more sexy. They loved the full-blown Zoom Air feature as well, and the heel stability provided by the heel counter also. Traditionally there’s just a hard wood heel, and there’s really no internal cushioning. You’re just sitting on top of that wood lasted outsole. So elevating the cushioning was a breakthrough. To also add the TPU to the back, it also gives the shoe a more futuristic and aggressive feel than what that traditional sport is used to. They loved the visual, and once they got a chance to put the boot on, they were sold on just how comfortable it was, not only from the Zoom liner, but also because we did some things differently with the internal lining to make it more comfortable.

Did you learn anything new in researching the background of Equestrian boots that might help how you design basketball product?

It’s a little bit difficult, because their stuff is just one piece of leather, and sometimes just two pieces of leather that runs around the shoe. Their stuff is designed with a different mentality. Just the simplistic nature of what the boot is and what it represents is all about the shape and the quality of leather. That is a little bit difficult to do in basketball product, but obviously shape is important there as well. It’d be cool to do a one-piece upper in Hoops, but there’s just no adjustability then. The refined nature of the boot itself would be interesting to apply to a basketball product.

Popularity: 34%