The Summer Olympics will officially begin today, August 5th in Rio [assuming the Zika virus doesn't ruin everything] and in celebration of the event Jordan Brand will be releasing this special edition "Olympic Alternate" Air Jordan 7; a sneaker which Tinker Hatfield originally designed back in 1992.
With its design, Tinker Hatfield initiated some firsts: removing the Nike Air branding visible on the previous six Jordan models and adding a neoprene Huarache bootie for support. Hatfield also sought to add a new, more international flare to the line through the incorporation of a fresh geometric pattern inspired by a poster for the long-running Afropop Worldwide radio program.
“To make a long story short: I stopped in my tracks, saw the poster and thought ‘That’s it,’ that should be the inspiration for the next pair of Jordans,” remembers Hatfield.
Styled in patriotic colors like the iconic "Olympics" Air Jordan 7, the sneakers include Michael Jordan's Team USA #9 on the heel along with a revamped star spangled heel tab.
Similar to the "Olympics" Air Jordan 7, this upcoming "Olympic Alternate" rendition also includes gold aglets, gold text on the tongue and a gold Jumpman on the upper ankle.
“This one was in the works for a while,” says Hatfield of the patriotic basketball version of the Air Jordan VII. “I did one that was more white based and one that was much more contrasted. My recollection is that MJ thought the contrasted one was really cool. Ultimately, I left it up to him.”
Of course, MJ opted for the white-based version which left this more contrasted version in the Nike vault until now.
If you're digging the new look pair of 7s, you can score a pair tomorrow, August 6th.
[Via]