Is it accurate to say that your Jordan III design played a major part in MJ staying with Nike?

Tinker Hatfield: That’s what [Nike founder] Bill Bowerman thinks, and I’m not here to dispute that. [Laughs.] The reality was that Michael was thinking of leaving. He came late to a meeting, and I had the opportunity to show him the Jordan III design, which he hadn’t seen yet. He went from being cranky and ready to leave the company to being fully engaged in looking at this new creation that he was going to wear. After, he told me his dad took him aside to chew him out and to stress that Nike would do a good job for him for the rest of his career.

Which Jordan was the hardest to pull off?

Tinker Hatfield: The XI was the most difficult shoe to do, the most innovative of the bunch. When Michael was talking to me, he kept mentioning that he wanted a Jordan shoe to be shiny. I could not, for two years, come to terms with that because I couldn’t understand what that was bringing to the performance of the shoe. So I talked him out of it. I finally came across this higher quality patent-leather that was not only shiny, but it would flex without cracking, so I was able to justify bringing shininess to a basketball shoe. I brought the design to Michael and he said, “I’ll bet you $1,000 that those shoes are going to show up with a tuxedo.” A few months later, Boyz II Men showed up at the Grammys in tuxedos and Jordan XIs. Michael called me up and said, “See? I want my money.”

A company like BAPE has gotten very popular through their interpretations of the Air Force 1. How do you feel about other brands ripping off Nike silhouettes?

Tinker Hatfield: It’s certainly a form of flattery. I feel in some ways, though, it’s possibly hurting athletic footwear in the long run. I think we’re having more trouble promoting new performance designs than we have in the past, because there are all these remakes. It’s kind of a love/hate thing for me.

Given that your designs are considered fine art by a lot of people, how do you maintain the balance between form and function?

Tinker Hatfield: In the end, I think the coolest stuff is stuff that works, whether it’s watches or cars. That’s always the coolest stuff to me: stuff that is a notch above everybody else in performance. If it’s all about style and being hip and cool, it’s probably not that hip and cool. Home // CELEBRITIES // THE SHOTCALLER // Tinker Hatfield