First Look: Nina Chanel Abney x Air Jordan 2
Contemporary artist and painter Nina Chanel Abney grew up in Chicago during reign of greatness in the 1980s and 1990s, and now she's collaborating with on a special . Recently revealed by sneaker leaker , Abney's Air Jordan 2 offers a classic 'Chicago'-style colourway with a subtle-yet-artistic reworking, altering materials and details without changing too much of what made the original style special.
The shoe's upper is constructed of white leather, and its most notable alteration is the removal of the AJ 2's standard full-length pebbled leather overlay. Here, that piece is chopped down and only appears on the midfoot, while a suede toe cap and slightly-altered heel setup supply further detail. The familiar Air Jordan ball-and-wings logo retains its place on the tongue, and Abney's full name is printed on the insoles.
Abney doesn't plan ahead when she paints, instead opting to work off of intuition, rhythm and feel. Her artistic style is put on full display with the shoe's hangtag, a super-size signature accessory with a 'painting' of one faceless player in a red and white uniform shooting a jumper over two faceless players in gold and purple uniforms – namely Michael Jordan facing off with the Los Angeles Lakers.
This isn't Abney's first go-around with Nike, Inc. as she worked with the brand on an 'Every Stitch Considered' collection in 2021. A release date for this special Air Jordan 2 has yet to be announced as well. However, with Jordan Brand recently revealing a 33-member 'Women's Collective' and now tapping Abney for a special colab of her own it's clear that they're looking to bring a more gender-inclusive perspective with a wide variety of voices and artistic mediums to their projects in 2022. We're all for it!