The Jordan Super.Fly 2017 is something new that will remind you of something old. The team basketball sneaker, which is a go-to for the likes of Blake Griffin, uses Nike’s just-debuted React cushioning tech, but it also ties back to Jordan Brand’s DNA.
“We took this [React] innovation and we had to figure how to build an upper that has the same design language of the tooling on the outsole, but also have it stand alone as its own sneaker,” said Jordan VP of Design, David Creech. “It was a challenge, but also an opportunity to design something that’s distinctly Jordan.”
The shape of the silhouette was loosely inspired by the Air Jordan 11 and design lines embossed throughout the sneaker, like the OG Flight logo typography found on the original Air Jordan 4, are nods to some of Jordan Brand’s most iconic silhouettes. One big difference separating this edition and past versions of the Super.Fly line is the use of premium suede on the upper.
“The biggest challenge was keeping a simple form, but finding the premium detail to create the ultimate shoe,” Creech said. “For us, it was about not over-designing it and obsessing the details.”
As for Nike’s proprietary React foam, the Jordan exec didn’t rule out implementing it on the brand’s other performance basketball sneakers, like the next flagship Air Jordan. “We’re really excited about this and we think it has big possibilities and we’re still ideating where this could go,” he said when pressed on whether React would be found on the Air Jordan 32.
The Jordan.Superfly 2017 releases on August 3 for $140.
