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“We always start with performance. We always start with trying to make a better basketball shoe.”
One of the reasons true genius is so rare, is that those capable of bar-setting achievements are very likely to be unable to describe exactly how they got there. In the case of a groundbreaking designer, it’s a bit more likely that they’ll be able to guide you through the process, and in the case of someone with as much experience as Tinker Hatfield, coming up with new neckbreakers is now down to a science. Tinker and Tom Luedeke began the Air Jordan 2012 with superior on-court action in mind, and were able to offer the most complete set of personalization options ever on a basketball shoe, all while incorporating inspiration from Portland’s classic ‘Jumptown’ jazz scene. Click through to hear more of what went into the AJ2012 and stick with Sneaker News for upcoming release dates. via Eastbay
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History can always be retold through books and word-of-mouth, but when it comes to sneakers, nothing refreshes an old spirit better than the re-release of a shoe. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary is the Nike Air Safari, which debuted in 1987 as a slump-buster of sorts, according to designer Tinker Hatfield, who forged ahead with fellow innovative minds like Mark Parker, Sandy Bodecker, and a few others to perform experiments with unique materials and designs. The Air Safari was part of the game-changing ‘Air Pack’ of 1987, which featured the Air Max 1, Air Trainer 1, Air Revolution, and Air Sock; the inspiration behind the famous Safari print came from a high-end furniture store in New York City, which displayed couches and coffee-tables that were priced in the tens of thousands. One particular piece of furniture that caught Tinker’s attention was a couch that was fashioned in an exotic ostrich skin – something Tinker had never seen before. He quickly discovered that this exotic, high-end approach was reserved for the upper, upper class (aka, the insanely rich), and he chose to transfer that level of luxury to a running shoe.
The result was the Air Safari, which featured a stylized version of that influential ostrich skin, but it was Tinker’s intention that the Air Safari serve not only as a performance running shoe, but as a casual shoe as well. Tinker further likened the shoe to an Aston Martin, mentioning that like the luxury car brand, the Safari was indeed capable of serving as a superb high-performance shoe, only people wore them for fashion. Since its debut in ’87, the Air Safari has reached cult status and has become a hit-or-miss type item in the re-sale market, selling anywhere from less than what you’d expect to more than double your budget. It’s been quite some time since the Air Safari re-released in the original colorways (the last Retro falling in the early 00′s), but the iconic print has popped its head out several times on Dunks, Air Force 180s, Air Maxes, and rather prominently in 2010′s CR Mercurial Vapor III football boot. With 2012 marking the Silver Anniversary of the Air Safari, this famed cult classic is poised for a much-anticipated rejuvenation with a plethora of new colorways and hybridizations already confirmed, so check out the gallery of detailed images of the original colorway below and let us know if you’re a fan of this iconic design!
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Just yesterday Sneaker News was overwhelmed by the grand launch of the Air Jordan 2012, bringing you detailed viewings of the Air Jordan 2012 Media Launch Event as well as thorough release information on upcoming colorways and the Air Jordan 2012 iD. The Air Jordan 2012 was a partnership between Tinker Hatfield and Tom Luedecke, a rock-solid team that brought you the Air Jordan 2011. In this thorough video detailing the design concept and attack plan of the Air Jordan 2012, both Tinker and Tom talk about the revolutionary Fit System, which dates back four years, to the key performance highlights of each of the six individual cushioning configurations, using the three Jordan Brand athletes (Wade, Melo, and CP3) as demonstrators. Check out the full tech sheet as well as a great video of the two innovative minds speak about the latest Air Jordan creation below and let us know if you’ll be copping the Air Jordan 2012.
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Jordan Brand is well known for pulling out all the stops for the launch of a new flagship model, and this year’s Air Jordan 2012 media unveiling was certainly no exception. Sneaker News was fortunate to be part of a select group of media picked up this morning and driven to a mystery location for the event. The cars eventually pulled up to a hangar in New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport with a large metallic Jumpman logo on the side of the building leaving little doubt that we had arrived at our destination. Once inside, media was “checked in” to their “flight” at a counter manned by members of the JB team and even a few flight attendants, and then piled into a room where the Air Jordan 2012 was officially introduced. After a brief set-up, the shoe’s designers, Tom Luedecke and none other than the legendary Tinker Hatfield (proudly repping his alma-mater in a pair of ‘Oregon’ Air Jordan III’s), were brought up on stage to run through the backstory and details of Jordan Brand’s latest installment to the Air Jordan heritage line.
As you might expect from what you’ve seen of the shoe, there is certainly a dress shoe influence, but it’s origin might not be what you were thinking. The inspiration for the wingtip aesthetic came from quite an unlikely place – a Tinker Hatfield architecture gig for the city of Portland. Tinker had been working on a rejuvenation project for a Portland neighborhood known as Jump Town, which was once a Northwest hub for jazz music and its fashionable culture. He was intrigued by the idea of the wild “zoot suits” that were worn in those days and the flashy footwear that often accompanied them. The idea was born and the look was translated via iPad sketching into what eventually became the Air Jordan 2012 – a shoe with some visual call-outs to a forgotten era crossbred with some next level technology found inside.
Aside from its unique look, the standout feature of the Air Jordan 2012 are its modular parts and the wide variety of options that can be explored. The idea of offering two different inner sleeve booties and three swappable insoles with different levels of cushioning comes down to one simple concept – allowing the consumer to tailor the shoe to their own customized specifications. No matter your size, position, style of game, there is something to cover it all, whether it be over the long haul of a season or switching up from game to game to adapt as you go. The innovations cross into some new ground for the Air Jordan line and are definitely worth a closer look in person when they start hitting retailers tomorrow in the first two colorways. Keep reading for a thorough look at this afternoon’s Air Jordan 2012 introduction with Tinker Hatfield and Tom Luedecke and stay tuned for part 2 of our launch recap later tonight.
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Nike introduces the Nike Zoom Vapor Tour 9 – a high-performance tennis shoe designed specifically for tennis superstar Roger Federer. For the Zoom Vapor Tour 9, Tinker Hatfield was presented with the challenge of creating a lightweight, breathable shoe that could withstand the rigors of the game of tennis; that balance is a bit difficult to find as running is dependent on rhythm while tennis hinges on blasts of movements in 360-degree direction. Using the innovative ‘finger’ fit system, which allows the upper to mold precisely to the contours of the foot, Hatfield created a shoe that feels like a running shoe, but performs for Federer’s game. The combination of Zoom and Lunar cushioning provides an unparalleled level of comfort, while the rubber overlays improve durability at all major high-wear points. Check out the Nike Zoom Vapor Tour 9 as well as a video with Hatfield and Federer below to get a full overview of this latest innovation in Nike Tennis footwear.
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Two weeks ago, Sneaker News showed you some dope sneaker art by Rhyen, a series of Air Jordans, Nikes, Reeboks, and other classics drawn up in a bubbly, cartoonized style. That collection of sneakers, titled ‘Kick Draw‘ was actually inspired by the great artwork of Robb Harskamp, who first created his own collection of Air Jordans, commissioned by Nike for Tinker Hatfield’s 30th Anniversary Party. Robb’s work featured the classic Bulls colorways of some of Tinker’s most memorable Air Jordan creations spanning from Air Jordan III to XX3, and once Robb was completed with his set, Rhyen felt compelled to carry on the baton by continuing Robb’s extraordinary work and branching out into other brands. If you enjoyed last week’s segment, check out the true OG of that unique style of sneaker art below, and check out his full portfolio at Harsky for a look at some of his other sick work, like with the NBA Dunk Contest, NBA Championship Rings and various professional sports teams.
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Nike Portland hosted one of the sickest sneaker release events of the year when it invited VIP guest Tinker Hatfield to meet and greet Air Jordan fanatics and offer autographs to their new Concord XI boxes. Having Tinker’s John Hancock on the best Air Jordan of all-time (as determined by our Sneaker News readers) is undoubtedly a sweet treat, so if you were lucky enough to attend the well-organized event on Friday, kudos to you! However, if you weren’t able to meet Tinker and get your Concords signed, you’re in luck: a few of the autographed Concords have popped up for sale, so get your bids in on one of the available pairs like this listing from cooperjane on eBay.
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In late October, Sneaker News showed you a rare piece of Air Jordan memorabilia – an Air Jordan 2010 autographed by Michael Jordan and the legendary footwear architect Tinker Hatfield. It’s extremely rare to see an Air Jordan signed by both icons of footwear history, but MJ and Tinker came together (with MJ donating the sneakers from his own collection) to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon. In fact, this particular pair is the only Air Jordan in existence with both signatures, and Tinker himself has provided a letter of authenticity to prove that what you’re bidding on is truly a piece of history (and all for a great cause!). The auction is now live and will run until this Friday, December 9th, at 11:45 AM, so check out the extra shots below and head to MWCAuction to bid now.
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Nike All Conditions Gear was born out of a desire to examine the sporting world outside of hardwood, grass/astro-turf, or a paved running track. ACG exemplified Nike’s explorative attitude, personified by the 1981 releases of the Magma, Approach, and Lava Dome, and in 1989, ACG became official; many of Nike ACG’s greatest designs were the result of a collaborative process behind the brand’s most famed designers and engineers like Tinker Hatfield, Toren Orzeck, and Peter Fogg, and in the thirty years of its existence, ACG has traveled the indirect path from outdoor-performance to cult worship. Shoes like the Air Mowabb paved the way for contemporary ACG designs like the Ashiko Boot and the Lunar Macleay, which, like the early ACG models, were intended to tear up Earth, but have also landed on the pedestal of those who consider ACG the utmost in design excellence. Want to learn more? Check out vintage ACG print-ads below and take a look at Crooked Tongues’ Gary Warnett’s full article to study up on one of the most historic wings of Nike history.
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When a country with a population surpassing 1.3 billion heads comes together to celebrate one entity, what can stop it? There are a few ongoing urban myths noting the sheer magnitude of the country’s population, one so massive that if everyone jumped up and down at the same time, it would cause an immense earthquake, or if all the toilets in China were flushed at once, tidal waves would engulf the entire globe. Both are likely to be untrue, but what is true about China is its love for the game of basketball and the American-born superstars of the sport. The Chinese have also embraced the American-born brand of Nike with open arms, and it’s gestures like this book, titled ‘Beyond The Court’ (published by iSIZE Media with the help of Nike) that reflects the Eastern passion for Nike Basketball and its legacy. Although the text is in a Chinese dialect and the book is likely to be available only in China, ‘Beyond The Court’ is a certain must-have for any book collector of Nike Basketball fanatic – consider it an updated, foreign version of Sole Provider. We’ve got some pages for you to look at below, so take a gander and let us know what you think.
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