John Kim 
The hysteria surrounding the Air Jordan IV ‘White/Cement’ culminated in the ground-breaking release on February 18th, causing nationwide campouts and online retailers to shut down and regroup in order to cater to the mass e-crowds of customers. But for the months leading up to the release, the White/Cements were under some heavy scrutiny – all three-hundred sixty degrees of the shoe were poked at and examined to the point where not much had been neglected. It’s been over a month now since the Air Jordan IV ‘White/Cement’ hit stores, but so far, this interesting piece of news has yet to have been reported – a hidden message embedded onto the shoe that while not exactly in clear and present sight, would be easily detectable by anyone who took a minute to give the shoe a thorough examination.
On the Air Jordan IV ‘White/Cement’ the words ‘TWENTYTWELVE’ can be found pressed onto the leather on the lateral side of the tongue, a detail that is hidden under the laces and may have been overlooked for the remainder of the shoe’s existence. While this detail might not have been spotted on all the White/Cements that have made their way into the hands of consumers, we must ask ourselves: What’s the purpose of this little touch? Perhaps a way to differentiate this Retro with its predecessor? While the ’99 and ’12 White/Cements are easily distinguishable, the upcoming Military Blue IV and Bred IV might not be, as both have been re-issued over the last six years. Or maybe Jordan Brand has plans of throwing these cleverly hidden messages/details in future Retros as a way to battle the counterfeit market. In any case, take a trip to your sneaker closet to see if your White/Cements have the TWENTYTWELVE message! Thanks to Damian for the heads up.
