Jordan Brand's Spring Retros: History And Innovation Hand In Hand

In 2022, Air Jordan XII will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Fans of the Brand can instantly think of the silhouette’s defining moment: Game 5 of the finals when a 103-degree fever couldn’t stop Jordan from tallying 38-7-5.

Photo Insert: The spring 2022 retro line honors MJ with an OG-everything AJXII and a whole collection that speaks to his competitive spirit, dominance and excellence for a new generation of fans.

To celebrate the shoe, Jordan Brand is releasing the original playoff colorway of the Air Jordan XII in its OG specs. That’s OG everything — leather upper, mudguard, carbon fiber shank plate, everything.

The timing points back to when the shoe debuted in Cleveland during All-Star Weekend in 1997. In February 2022, the shoe will release in — where else? — Cleveland during this year’s NBA All-Star Game.

The harmony of time, place and occasion is one of the major goals of the Jordan Brand retro collections every season. How can a product line built on legacy shoe models be innovative for today’s Brand?

Through a philosophy of deep, multifaceted intention and teamwork, making sure each launch connects properly within the Brand’s history to create a sense of curiosity for current and future fans.

“We don’t want to release these OG colorways randomly,” says Donald Kelsey, Jordan Brand Product Director, Global Retro Line. “It has to be tethered in some way to MJ’s story. Our team is serious about connecting the dots for when these OG models or colorways release. The diehard fans can see that we care about preserving history, while new fans are invited to dig into their curiosity and explore the reasons for timing. Why now? Why this shoe? Then the answers start flowing. We never launch a retro in isolation.”

You also see distinct consideration in the retro lines’ extended sizing for women and kids, and in how Jordan designers think differently about the silhouettes’ methods of build. The craft models each season are led by innovative takes on upper materials, patterns or constructions, such as this season’s Air Jordan IV, which experiments with a canvas upper atop a soft blue tie-dye print.

These fresh expressions of classic silhouettes can give a wearer a new relationship with the brand and create new classic colorways along the way.

Through intentional release timing and an obsessive eye for detail, Jordan Brand keeps honoring its legacy namesake, connecting his competitive spirit, dominance, and excellence with a new generation of fans.

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