The Air Michael Jordan XVI shoes was released on February 17, 2001 - Jordan’s 38th birthday. This shoe was the first to not be designed by Tinker Hatfield in over a decade, yet it brought together the best pieces of shoes Tinker designed. The Air Jordan 16’s hit the shelves following the successful Air Jordan XV. Jordan Brand found that Jordan didn’t need to wear the shoes in the NBA to be on the hot list of every other American teenager. Air jordan XVII This shoe comes equipped with Keefer, which held the shoes and a compact disc containing the Air jordan XVII sneaker song. The retail price of the shoe was $200. The defining functional design element of the Air Jordan XVII model which was later replicated on the Air Jordan XXIII model was the reinforced midsole which provided a very sturdy and stable chassis for the shoe. The XVII is known as the most expensive Air jordan model ever produced. They were made in four mid top colors and three lowtop colors. One colorway was known as the "Fergilicious" because of the red/pink color combination and is reminiscent of Fergie's "The Dutchess" album cover.
The Air jordan XVIII sneaker was released in 2003 and was the shoe for Jordan’s last season (part 3), in which Jordan played for the Washington Wizards. Creator of the design of the Air Jordan 18 was Tate Kuerbis (Jordan Senior Footwear Designer). A person that had been part of the Jordan footwear design team since 1999 and with Nike since 1995. The inspiration of the design is a combination fo a number of things; Sleek racing lines of the auto world, Carbon fiber-based monocoque of F1 race cars, Race car driving shoes (rubber heel wrap) and Fine Italian dress shoes (bold stitching on the soles).
Released in 2004 and modeled after the black mamba snake, this is the first Jordan release after his third, and final, retirement which came after the 2002-2003 NBA season. Two original colorways where released: white/flint grey and black/red. Three regional colorways and three special edition colorways were released. They consisted of the East, West, and Midwest edition for regular and West, East, and Olympic for the SE (special edition). The Jordan XIX shoes used innovative materials. The upper section of shoe was developed in collaboration with Material ConneXion Inc. from a sleeving normally used in architectural applications for protecting PVC pipes from bursting. In theory, this allowed for a lace-less shoe because the sleeving does not stretch, however the Air jordan XIX sneaker model did include a set of laces behind the sleeve to better secure the shoe.
This revolutionary motorcycle-inspired model celebrated the legacy of Michael Jordan. Equipped with next generation IPS cushion, a spherical shape and a laser etched design representing immortalized symbols of Jordan on its lace strap and interior gave this shoe a unique look and performance. As well Air jordan XX sneaker as being inspired by motorcycles this design was also in inspired bicycling shoes this is why the strap was placed in the center of the shoe over the laces it also helped to creat a tighter fit and increased support. Each number on the back has a huge significance. Air jordan XXI The design for the Jordan XXI shoes model was inspired by the world's finest sport touring vehicles. The shoe features lower-foot air grilles, double-overlasted Phylon midsole, a carbon fiber shank plate and a seamless diamond-quilted booty. It also has an evolutionary tunable I.P.S. suspension system that lets the wearer choose between Zoom and Encapsulated air.
The Jordan XXII shoes model, designed by Dwayne Edwards, was released on March 24, 2007. Its original retail price was $175 but has declined. The aggressive and sharp design was inspired by the F-22 Raptor fighter jet. Some technical features of the shoe include an updated visible, interchangeable independent podular system, a new metallic mesh for ventilation, the Air Jordan camouflage pattern printed in reflective 3M, and an updated traction system, based on an army general's stripes. There were two special editions of the Air jordan XXII sneaker model released. The first edition was released for Jordan's birthday on February 17. This edition featured an authentic Jordan Brand basketball leather. The second edition was the Omega model, part of the Alpha-Omega package. This model featured a laser-etched image of Jordan after he won his sixth NBA championship in 1998. An entirely new line of Air Jordan 22 shoes called the player editions or "PE" were released with these shoes worn by NBA players from the Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and Dallas Mavericks. This Air jordan sneaker model featured a new strap around the heel and ankle.
Starting at the toe, the toe cap has Jordan’s signature embossed. The side of the shoe features a stitched pattern that gives the shoes strength in addition to cosmetic effect. The tongue of the left and right are different for a first time with a jumpman logo on the right shoe and the number “23″ embedded on the left shoe. The shoe also features a glittery glossy panel that covers the midsole body of the sneaker. This was the first Air jordan that was engineered to not use any glue. According to an article in Jet magazine, the Air Jordan 23 is the first basketball shoe to be made under the "Considered" ethos, meaning the shoe is made with the environment in mind. The shoe was constructed using the absolute minimum amount of adhesive to make it more environmentally sound, while the soles (which are designed from Jordan's own fingerprint) are made from recycled rubber. It is considered the most technologically advanced Jordan model to date, and according to Gentry Humphrey, the head of the Jordan design team, it may be the last actual Air Jordan. The shoe was released in three different colorways from January to February, with a limited edition release where 23 retailers around the world sold the shoe, before its national release in February. The Air jordan XXIII sneaker model had virtually eliminated the Jumpman logo. It is found only on the tongue of the right sneaker, and completely missing on the left sneaker, except on the ends of the shoelace The article is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Jordan
