Air Jordan XXXI 'Brazil' and 'USA'
A Jordan Brand recap wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the year’s newest flagship model. 2016 introduced us to not only the Air Jordan XXX – which hit stores in February – but also the Air Jordan XXXI, which rolled out in September.
The Air Jordan XXX was created with an amalgamation of input from Jordan, together with famed Nike veterans Tinker Hatfield and Mark Smith. Up top, it featured a lightweight woven upper, stylised ‘XXX’ net graphic on the heel and asymmetrical collar. Down below, however, it retained the sole unit of the Air Jordan XX9 – a potential reason for it being replaced after just 7 months.
The Air Jordan XXXI made its debut in September, hitting stores in a ‘Banned’ colourway alongside the shoe that spawned the line’s legendary status – the Air Jordan 1 ‘Bred’. The work of senior Jordan Brand designer Tate Kuerbis, the Air Jordan XXXI incorporated a first-of-its-kind one-piece upper, which transitions from lightweight Flyweave to supportive synthetic leather at the rear. From a technical perspective, the AJ XXXI proved itself as a court king with its low-profile full-length Zoom Air unit, tweaked with FlightSpeed technology for maximum energy transfer. However, the Air Jordan XXXI will be best remembered as the first Air Jordan to feature a sidewall Nike Swoosh since the line’s 1985 debut, also marking the first time a non-retro Air Jordan has featured the Swoosh, Jumpman and Wings logos on the one shoe.