After using the Air Jordan 40 to look back on four decades of signature sneakers, Jordan Brand is locking forward for the Air Jordan 41.
There are no Easter eggs from previous Air Jordans to be found on the franchise’s newest model, and not one of its eight gemstone-inspired colorways is rooted in a past hit. If you want nostalgia, you can go buy a pair of retro Js, but the house that Michael Jordan built is now looking to tell a new story for the current generation — while catering to the game’s contemporary needs.
“We really wanted to respect the design principles that have driven a lot of game shoes,” Leo Chang, Jordan Brand creative director of sport, told a group of journalists at a preview earlier in August. “But not taking elements from them. We wanted to push performance into a new space and, from a design standpoint, keep it simple, clean, modern and iconic. When you think about some of the best Air Jordans, they embody that.”
A technological first comes by way of a midsole trio of ZoomX foam, a full-length Zoom strobel and a heel Air Zoom unit. That latter element helps to player prop themselves up on their toes while defending and came after a request from Jordan himself to pay more attention to the defensive side of the game. Also helping in that regard is a is a carbon fiber and TPU shank that extends up the lateral sidewall for rapid changes in direction.
An engineered mesh upper with 3D nanonprint sheds weight from the Air Jordan 40, which used classic but heavier materials such as suede and leather, in two distinct patterns used across the Air Jordan’s eight colorways, all but one of which are being shared now: “Ruby,” “Quartz,” “Amethyst,” “Jade,” “Tiger’s Eye,” “Opal” and “Pink Diamond.”
To continue with the gemstone theme, the shank’s visible sidewall is shaped as if it’s been chiseled. And the very choice to roll out just eight colorways was made to channel a time when Air Jordans were much more limited in their variants and thus felt more precious. The Air Jordan 4, for example, had just four original colorways, whereas the Air Jordan 40 has had 14 to date.
Another source of inspiration came from Jordan’s vast collection of cars. Although Chang wouldn’t divulge which vehicles specifically, lest he encourage litigation, he did say they’re exotic super cars. The window in the outsole that allows a peek at the shank takes after cars with windows that make their engines visible.
Earlier prototypes featured ankle cuffs, but when Jordan was presented with a pair for the first time he couldn’t get his feet in. He told the designers to improve it or ditch it, and a more functional version was ultimately found. Jordan still preferred the cuffless iteration, though — and so, too, did the many youth players who participated in testing.
“This guy’s been in the game for 41 years,” Chang said. “I’m like 25 years in and a lot of the times feel like the oldest in the room. But it’s intimidating because he’s seen it all. You have to show up dialed in and know what you’re talking about or he’ll call you on it. He’s the best in the game still in terms of having a conversation about product because he’s felt it, he’s seen it for 41 years.”
In total, more than 300 players tested the sneaker, from the high school to professional level, and in the men’s and women’s games. The younger players in particular indicated being risk averse and turned off by gimmicks, as they don’t want any distractions as they work to make it to the next level.
Those kids also don’t have the same desire as sneakerheads of a certain age who year for the days when performance models of the moment carried off-court appeal. They see their shoes as equipment and have many other options to turn to when they aren’t playing.
If the Air Jordan 41 serves as a pivot point in speaking to today’s slate of players, it won’t stop there. Donald Kelsey, Jordan Brand senior director of basketball and promo footwear, said a reset is also imminent for Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic’s signature lines, as well as the wider performance slate over the next three years.
“We’ve identified the playing styles of this generation of athletes, and we’ve now been able to line up the innovations and expressions to go with that,” Kelsey added. “You’ll see it all come to life, and it’ll be a lot more fun conversations to expand our world with shoes moving forward.”
The Air Jordan 41 “Ruby” will release Friday exclusively in China followed by a global launch at a still-to-be-announced date. Pricing is set at $205.
Air Jordan 41 “Ruby” (lateral)
Air Jordan 41 “Ruby” (medial)
Air Jordan 41 “Ruby” (outsole and above)