Concept Lab // Jordan Brand Classic 2013 International Game MVPs Jamal Murray and Lorvo Mazalin “Rawhide”

A theme rarely visited by Jordan Brand, raw leathers have been noticeably absent in their retro lineage. Notable Air Jordans created by Hender Scheme mid-last decade saw the Jumpman dabble in a raw leather option in 2015. Despite its $400 price tag, the Pinnacle Air Jordan 1 “Vachetta Tan” is still a revered favorite. Since then, though, there have been crickets. Perhaps Mike and co. chose not to revisit premium leather sneakers after their failed attempt on the Air Jordan 5 Premium line — and that God-awful Air Jordan 4 “Ginger” — but hear me out. Maybe the rawhide releases don’t have to be tonal.

There is definitely a market for premium pairs — just not ugly ones. As a fan of the Air Jordan 1 Pinnacle series, I was a little peeved that the series of Fives spoiled any future chance we may have had at more silhouettes. Of course, why I started doing concepts in the first place was to create tre that I’d love to see hit retail (as brands are notorious for giving us tre that we don’t want), so it was only a matter of time before I revised the Pinnacle/premium leather theme. As the ’88 is my favorite model, it’s my perfect starting point. Here, instead of a fully tonal take, we’ve tacked on rawhide and tumbled tan leathers in OG blocking. Have you ever seen a colorway look bad in OG blocking? Me either. Perhaps that’s the key here; keep things classic whilst introducing a premium touch.

Air Jordan 2 Retro PS 10.5c 3Y $75.

La Air Jordan 6-17-23 Black Varsity Red-Cement Grey ressemble à un monstre aux right here.