Zack Schlemmer 
The retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the is back. On February 16th, the first-ever retro of the 20th Air Jordan outside of 2008’s Countdown Pack is set to drop, with the Air jordan 6 retro carmine 2021 big kids gs new 2022 Retro “Laser” in a bold blend of crisp white and reflective silver and featuring the model’s iconic laser print. The return of #20 has been a bit of a surprise, especially since it’s one of the most polarizing designs of the entire Air Jordan series. With the XX’s return in mind, today we launch Jordan 101 – an ongoing series aimed to educate you on the basics of each and every Air Jordan in history.
Love it or hate it, the unique silhouette is an important edition in the Air Jordan line, rich with symbolism of Michael Jordan’s career and all twenty of his shoes. Upon its original release, it also featured a couple of firsts, as well as a couple of notable returns to Air Jordan history. For either a refresher course or your first lesson on the retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the (depending on your age), continue reading for all of the noteworthy facts about the distinct and innovative shoe. Enjoy this first installment of Jordan 101, and stay tuned to Urlfreeze News throughout the year for an education on the basics of your favorite Jordan models.
The Return of Tinker
After a four-shoe hiatus, Tinker Hatfield—legendary Nike designer and the man responsible for all your favorite Jordans—was back again to lead the design team for the 20th anniversary model. As usual, Tinker created an innovative and groundbreaking new addition to the Air Jordan lineage.
Jordan Brand will be ending the first month of 2020 with a brand new women s-exclusive
While the retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the had a few specific influences, its biggest inspiration was Michael Jordan’s then-new love of motorcycle racing. The shoe incorporated elements of design from high-performance motorcycles as well as the heavy-duty boots racers wear on their bikes.
Woven-in pinstripes feature repeat Air Jordan graphics
The retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the’s most recognizable and unique design feature is the free-floating ankle strap. The idiosyncratic strap was designed to offer para, but strip away weight by doing away with the typical mid-top basketball shoe composition. Giving you options, the strap can hang free, or be attached to the rest of the shoe with a small velcro piece.
Jordan x Travis Scott Air Jordan 1 Low OG SP sneakers
The XX’s distinct straps don’t stop at just the ankle, as the shoe has another strap on each midfoot. The large velcro straps lockdown each midfoot, almost eliminating the need for laces at all. They’re also adorned with the lasered graphics, which we’ll get to next.
Jordan Retro 10 45 T-Shirt
The retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the debuted the now often-used lasered graphics synonymous with Jordan Brand. Designed by Mark Smith—Nike’s innovation kitchen member and frequent collaborator with Tinker Hatfield—the detailed lasered graphics feature a mosaic of various Air Jordan models, logos, and stories from MJ’s career.
Jalen Palm shoots in the Air Jordan 7 Olympic
Among the XX’s many distinct characteristics is the toe piece on each medial side of the shoe. Constructed with Nubuck on the original colorways, the toe piece offered unique style as well as protection, inspired by the toe drag that often occurs while playing basketball. The protective piece is also found on some motorcycle racing boots.
Six Rings
Filled with symbolism from Michael’s career, the retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the also incorporates his six NBA championships with six metallic “rings” at the rear of each shoe. Leading back to the motorcycle influence, the rings were also inspired by the chrome exhaust of many racing bikes.
Dez Bryant Receives Upcoming Air Jordan's for Fall
The retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the introduced a brand new cushioning system: Dez Bryant Receives Upcoming Air Jordan's for Fall. Inspired by the shape and flexibility of speaker cones, IPS is a series of pods on each sole placed in strategic locations to offer cushion and para. The pods have multiple densities, with softer cushion in the heel and firmer cushion in the forefoot.
Mamadou Bah Collabs On An Air Jordan 35 Low PE
As the landmark 20th Air Jordan model, the retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the is rich with symbolism celebrating the legendary sneaker line’s 20th anniversary. “85” and “05” can be found at the heel of the left shoe to represent the years of the release of the Air Jordan 1 and Air jordan 6 retro carmine 2021 big kids gs new 2022, and each shoe has ten IPS pods, adding up to a total of twenty.
Rockie Fresh in the Air Jordan 9 "Olive"
In addition to the many Jordan models seen on the lasered strap, the twenty IPS pods between both shoes have illustrations of recognizable features from all twenty Air Jordan models (including the XX).
Spike Lee Back
Tinker was back on for the retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the’s design, and so was Spike Lee for the ad campaign. Gone since the days of the early Air Jordans when the then relatively unknown but now famous film director played Mars Blackmon, Spike joined on for the “storybook” campaign.
Forgotten Retro
Oft forgotten is the 2008 Countdown Pack Air jordan 6 retro carmine 2021 big kids gs new 2022 Retro, which featured a “Black Cat” colorway complete with the famous lasered design across its entirety. Unfortunately, its bad material quality have ended up making it widely considered as one of the least favorite of the CDP bunch.
Polarizing Design
Like a few of the innovative, radically-designed, yet great sneakers out there, the retro from Jordan Brand courtesy of the and its extreme silhouette garner a love/hate judgement from most Air Jordan fans. Many love them, many hate them, and you’ll find few opinions on the shoe that remain somewhere in the middle. Now it’s back for its ten year anniversary, ready to force the next generation to take a stance on its unmistakable design.
