Concept Colorways: The Air Jordan XX8 Reimagined

Image via Complex Original

The shroud of the XX8 hides everything that is inside the shoe; it's like the hood to a supercar. You don't always want to see the motor but sometimes you want to show off all the horsepower it's packing. I started looking at supercars — in particular mid-engine Ferraris — and loved how they used clear heat shields to show off the beautiful motors that were packing all that super power. So I decided to apply the same concept to the XX8. Using a translucent synthetic upper that is tinted Volt, it allows us to see the inner structure of the Air Jordan XX8, thus giving the world a clear view at the performance supershoe.

I felt the XX8, and the Jordan Brand in general, needed some sort of a "galaxy" treatment, but I didn't just want to copy the Nike Basketball staple. So I started thinking about my favorite images of Michael, and I went back to the very first poster I ever received of him. The poster was called "Space The Final Frontier" and featured an image from the 1988 Dunk Competition. The designer(s) replaced the ball with the moon and background was a sunset that shifted from yellow ochres to oranges to purples, creating a beautiful gradient that you could only see from space. My goal was to update and recreate that gradient. I chose to modernize the colors and created a gradient that fades from dark to light from bottom to top. I then brought in elements from the galaxy by screen-printing stars with 3M Reflective ink. The two combine to create a bold colorway that harkens back to an iconic Michael Jordan image.

The storytelling for Michael Jordan has been very extreme over the years but at times it is done very well and very distinctively. I wanted to do something that honored Michael in the same way. One of the most unique things I have ever seen for the man is a table that Michael commissioned artist Michael Enn Sirvet to create. Sirvet fashioned a draping steel table that features 32,292 random sized holes drilled through it. Why 32,292 holes? One hole for each point Michael Jordan scored in his illustrious NBA career. I felt it would be dope to test the capabilities of the laser-etching machine and etch 32,292 holes in a 3M Reflective upper to honor the greatest basketball player of all time. Not only would it be a great visual but it would also be functional, as it would shed weight and add breathability to the upper.

I love color so much that is hard to pick just one color, so I used them all! My goal was to feature color in a way that was dynamic but still pure. I was inspired by artist Tauba Auerbach and her use of color, pattern and material. I felt it aligned completely with the graphic nature of the XX8 and brought a new sort of life to the shoe. It's serious but whimsical, a perfect companion to Russell Westbrook's game.

Another thing that caught my ear at the Air Jordan XX8 launch was how often the XX8 was related to a concept car, and rightfully so; its use of carbon fiber and construction of the upper has ushered in a new conceptual way of creating a basketball shoe. I wanted to bring more car elements into it but in a graphic way. I have always loved the graphic exploration that has been applied to countless Porsche racecars. They have created some truly timeless design. One of my all time favorites is the "Pink Pig" 917. I felt it related to footwear as the dashed lines represented cut lines on the car to disassemble it, similar to how a pig is butchered. So I created some fictional areas as to where the upper could be patterned at if you were to butcher it. I also incorporated the classic numbering from the car, which coincidentally was 23. I also envisioned this shroud being constructed from very thin pig suede just to make the whole concept complete.

What was once a fad has now become a great detail and I wanted to exploit the hell out of it. I made the whole upper and sole unit glow in the dark. In daylight they will look like a bold blue-and-orange Russell Westbrook colorway, but by night they will be emitting extremely fluorescent hues that will attract everyone to check them out.

This version is not meant to be a dedication to Daft Punk. While I love their music and creativity, I am truly inspired by their wardrobe. The reflectivity and the podular metallic pieces on their gloves have always captivated me. They seem so protective yet so visually dynamic. I'm not exactly sure how they are being made but I assume if they can figure it out, then a factory in Asia can learn how to mass-produce this dope look.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the unveiling of the XX8 in person and the one thing that stuck out in my mind was how the designer, Tinker Hatfield, kept referring to this shoe as a stealth military boot for the basketball court. It made me think about Michael Jordan and how stealth he was when he played. Many called it his "Black Cat" persona, this was something that was explored 15 years ago on the Air Jordan XIII. I felt the timing couldn't be better to reintroduce that story to the Air Jordan line since the XX8 is inspired by stealth military movement and one of the biggest plays in fashion right now is animal prints. So I created a tone on tone Leopard print that ties into both the legend of Michael's game and the dope look that is currently being played out in all areas of fashion.

When I first saw the XX8 one of the ideas that instantly came to mind was to create the shrouded upper out of a 3D Knit embossed fabric. Basically a fabric that is structurally sound but is also lightweight and breathable. It provides both function and a very unique visual as the embossing would stretch around the form of the shoe, thus giving it visual depth.

Reflectivity is synonymous with the Air Jordan line. First introduced to the footwear world on the Air Jordan V, the 3M reflective material was used as a means for making the Jumpman logo become a focal point in photographs. As the camera flashed the 3M would react to the light and reflect a white glow thus making the red Jumpman logo look like it was soaring off the tongue.