Imagine if the greatest basketball player of all time didn’t continue with Nike, imagine he signed with Converse or Adidas and would then go on to ascend to basketball greatness with the three stripes embroidered on his creps.
When we look at Michael Jordan and his legendary basketball resume, we often look at his success with Nike and the shoe line he has created alongside Nike.
Well that partnership almost never continued if it wasn’t for one specific designer and his innovative designs.
That’s right, in this edition of CrepTalk, we dive deep into the rich history of the Jordan 3 and how Tinker Hatfield designed the shoe which would save the Nike x Jordan Brand partnership.
With the Jordan 3 Fire Red releasing on the 10th of September, its just right to get into the Jordan 3 history.
Race against time
After Michael Jordans first two shoes, that being the Jordan 1 and the Jordan 2, Michael and Nike's relationship started to become sour, as Nike had let go of the first two designers of the Jordan 1 in which he loved so much.
Peter Moore, the designer of the Air Jordan 1and Nike's Marketing Vice President both left the company to start their own company. The table was set for the both of them, all they needed was a young rising star in the league sport their new products. That young rising star set out to be of course the young bull Michael Jordan.
This massively slowed down the Air Jordan 3 production timeline during a sensitive time when Jordan was at crossroads with Nike as his contract was coming up for renewal and he was courted by Moore and Strasser to join them
This created a race against time for Nike, as each day, Jordan was looking at different brands, Adidas, Converse and Puma. Nike raced to save the Jordan brand throwing anything they can to keep their young star.
Tinker Hatfield- The legend
Nike got their best man on the job, Tinker Hatfield, a young designer from the University of Oregon who studied Architecture. Tinker had some experience in designing popular hits like the Air Max 1 and the Air Trainer 1, so it only seemed right to get Tinker Hatfield for the Jordan 3.
Hatfield was an incredibly dedicated man to his craft, he always studied the athletes movements and specifically wanted to create a sneaker that was built for athletes based on what they wanted. Hatfield made sure to speak to Jordan himself, and find out what he wanted, Jordan was specifically looking for a mid-cut, and comfortable soft leather upper sneaker. Jordan also wanted something a lot less restrictive than the previous models but with the addition of high end leather.
Hatfield thought of the perfect idea.
Its Gotta be the Shoes...
After many prototypes and sketches, Hatfield made sure to use a tumbled leather upper construct in developing the shoe instead of regular leather, as used on many silhouettes such as the Air Force 1. This was a move that was never really used in the Athletic shoe department, but more so for fashion shoes, this was a key feature that sold Jordan with the Air Jordan 3, as he could wear a new sneaker every game and not feel like he has to break them in.
Hatfield also discovered a material that would distinguish the Jordan 3, which it was known for its iconic "Elephant print" detailing around the toe box and heel of the Jordan 3
The Jordan 3 also stood out, as for the first time, we got to see the Nike 'Jumpman' Air logo placed on the tongue of the Jordan 3, as Hatfield was looking for inspiration
Time to take flight
After getting Jordan’s approval, the Air Jordan 3 was released February 1988, where they retailed for $100. Four OG colourways led the new release:
White Cement, Black Cement, Fire Red, and True Blue.
Jordan had an incredible 1987-88 NBA season wearing the Air Jordan 3, picking up a number of awards along the way, including: The NBA All-Star, NBA Most Valuable Player, NBA All-Star Most Valuable Player, NBA Scoring Champion, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, NBA Steal Champion, and, perhaps the most memorable of all – the NBA Slam-Dunk Contest Title – which Jordan famously won flying from the free throw line to the rim.
The Jordan 3 can go down as the shoe that saved Nikes Jordan brand, it 'cemented' it's legacy as the shoe Jordan was so blown away by, that he continued his iconic relationship with Nike.
And now 34 years after with the Fire Red Jordan 3s release tomorrow with the highly coveted OG Nike Air tab on the back.
Don't lack on this piece of history as this one's a must cop grail.
Comments