Any worthy sneaker head undoubtedly possesses a closet, room, or separate structure in Nick Young’s case, housing a wide variety of stylish footwear on display and occasionally read for wear. Typically, numerous brands are represented, however, there is one that is unlike the others. Jordan Brand reigns supreme with most sneaker aficionados. Often the release of a new design is anticipated with the most baited of breath and subsequent multi-block lines, leaving parents questioning their children’s life choices. This year is no different, except it is. 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the coveted shoe and following on the heels of a fan favorite, the Jordan XX9 (Which is hot fire, shown two pics down), the unveiling of the this year’s iteration had a little more hype than usual. With much fanfare and celebration, the design has been released.
As usual, we’ll review the shoe on style alone, realistically that’s all that can currently be done, since the sneaker has yet to arrive in stores. At first glance, the similarity between this shoe and the previous version is quite evident. It appears as if the 30 is not the revolutionary change many expected, rather an evolution of the design that so many enjoyed.
Is that a good choice? It’s definitely a safe choice, or at least it was likely perceived to be, but does it neglect the nature of the anniversary and seminal moment in the brand’s existence? To say that fans of the line were expecting a breath of fresh air is an understatement. To mark the third decade of the basketball footwear’s supremacy with a continuation of a previous version could likely be viewed as a misstep. Nonetheless, let’s get to the details.
The colorway is again a safe entry. Black and white rarely offer much in the way of stylistic roadblocks, the shoe will match most uniforms and apparel with relative ease. Surely there will be a later offering featuring a black and red color palette, a Jordan Brand staple. Yet it is surprising to see the color red completely vacant. The eye tends to lean to the back of the shoe, focussing on the hard slashes emerging from the rear. They appear to create the shape of a net, an obvious visual cue to the sport they are associated with. It is when viewed from behind that the intent unfolds.
The hard, slashing lines are the extension of the “XXX” emblazoned on the back of the sneaker, the Roman numeral translation of the shoe’s anniversary. Sure, that’s the intent, but it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing delivery. We can agree that the triple “X” serving as a graphical merging of numbering and the visual of the net, is a neat idea, just not flawlessly executed. It looks like the first sketch, rough, but purposeful, that after months of revisions was reverted back to when no greater option could be created. As this truly is the key design element, the success of the shoe really falls upon it’s shoulders. The rest of the shoe is a serviceable presentation, no major errors or standouts, unfortunately shining the spotlight on the questionable graphical direction. Risky waters to say the least.
Oh but there is one feature not to be overlooked. Did you see it? Take a closer look.
That miniature nebula, that minute window into the vast expanse of cosmic wonderment is an absolute thing of beauty. The Jordan Brand sneaker is not the only relevant anniversary to the greatest basketball player of all time this year. Twenty years ago a little movie titled “Space Jam” hit theaters. A cinematic tour de force though it may not be, we all love it. The subtle design note, simply must be a hat tip to the film, but leaves me wondering what the Jordan 30 could have been, had this been pushed further. Couldn’t that pattern have been implemented more prominently? I’m sure there was a fear of overdoing it, that perhaps a wink is better than a stare, this is often the case in the design process. But this is the Jordan 30. Time to go all out. Hopefully there will be a full on, spaced out version of the 30, there has to be. Until then we are left with a perfectly fine, nice looking, but underwhelming result.
