SOLE COLLECTOR: Sneakers

Jordan XIX

The Air Jordan XIX, like many of its predecessors, incorporated new technologies along with new materials – a fact that is obvious from the first sight of it. MJ had once again stepped away from the game—this time for good. He took a more “behind the scenes” approach with this model, or at least that’s how it appeared to the general public.

There was not just one designer for the XIX; there was more of a team approach. Tate Kuebris, who was Senior Footwear Designer for Jordan Brand at the time, led a team comprised of Jason Mayden, Wilson Smith, Josh Heard and Suzette Henri—all of whom played a role in the design. Inspiration was derived from the elusive black mamba, one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. Once again, Jordan Brand was using MJ’s killer instinct as a driving force behind their model. The now seemingly standard lace cover was used again, this time with an adjustable strap in the rear of the shoe. Over the laces, a Tech Flex material was used. This new technology gave a black mamba-like appearance to the shoe and was intended to add support over the foot during cuts, while being extremely lightweight and flexible. Unfortunately, the Tech Flex material never functioned as planned. It did, however, have the added bonus of making it extremely hard to counterfeit this Jordan. The shoe also incorporated a full-length Zoom Air unit, beefed up with a second, “double stacked” Zoom unit in the heel. This provided all the comfort any player could want. Jordan Brand designed a box that folded out into two compartments, with each one containing one of the shoes. Each shoe was also placed in a mesh drawstring bag, to aide in transporting the shoes.

With Michael off of the floor again, faces around the league would have to step up and wear XIX to promote the shoe. The most obvious player to wear the XIX was Ray Allen, who was a distinguished member of Jordan Brand and had been for a few years at that time. Jason Kidd, of the New Jersey Nets, wore the white and red or white, navy and red colorways quite often. Carmelo Anthony was often seen in a pair of XIXs in his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets. Another XIX wearer was the crafty veteran Gary Payton, who began wearing Jordan Brand after his departure from Seattle while playing for Boston and then the Lakers thereafter.

The traditional Black/Varsity Red colorway graced the shelves along with the initial White/Chrome/Flint Grey/Black release. Jordan Brand then threw a curve and gave a regional release of the XIX in three colorways: Black/White/Metallic Silver for the West, a simple White/Varsity Red/Metallic Silver for the Midwest and the White/Midnight Navy/Varsity Red for the East. This was the first time a regional release had been done with the Air Jordan line, and it proved to be a success.

Overall, the XIX was well-received by the average Jordan consumer and the team approach was again a success. The shoe measured up quite well on the floor, too. This model also seems to be gaining more and more popularity in recent years.