Jordan 3 Retro SE

Nicknamed Unite, this Jordan 3 Retro SE was released to coincide with the NBA All-Star Weekend of 2020 and, as such, comes in a colour scheme that honours Chicago; the location of that year’s basketball exhibition event. It is presented upon a chunky rubber outsole with blocky grip patterns along its Cement Grey edges and circular lines on the Fire Red piece below the forefoot. A white section can be found beneath the heel and extending into the medial edge, Fire Red Nike lettering standing out brightly in its centre.

The midsole then switches to white around the toe, which has a lightly textured surface and a band of stitching encircling it. White coats the bottom layer of supportive polyurethane that forms the midsole from midfoot to heel, but its upper rear section has been decorated in a contrasting black as it wraps around the back of the foot. Just below this, an oblong-shaped window has been placed, behind which a pocket of comfortable Nike Air can be seen, its springy properties offering the wearer soft bounce with each step.

Meanwhile, the upper is overlaid with a large tumbled leather panel whose textured exterior is vibrant Fire Red. This colour shines even more given the darker tones around it – Tinker Hatfield’s unforgettable elephant-print overlays adorning the toe and heel in a pattern that is distinguished by two contrasting shades of grey. Between these two panels lies a Fire Red mudguard with a smooth surface that brings textural variation against the other pieces of leather surrounding it.

Over the top of the foot, a selection of different eyelets help to secure the black laces. At the bottom, black ringlets are set into the main overlay, while through the middle, where this red leather panel recedes away from the edge of the tongue, a layer of Cement Grey holds three black TPU moulded eyelets on each side. Lastly, the front of the mid-cut collar contains a pair of eyelets shaped by Cement Grey TPU. More of the grey underlayer of the upper can be seen around the back of the collar, its surface perforated with tiny holes, just like those on the middle of the eyestay. These are joined by more on the lower half of the Cement Grey tongue, making the shoe highly breathable.

On the inner, the Fire Red insole and light grey lining create an eye-catching juxtaposition of colours once more. This effect is enhanced by the white Nike Air branding on the insole and the use of soft Fire Red padding on the underside of the tongue. Back on the outer, a large cone-shaped panel has been inserted into the heel where the elephant-print overlay curves downwards, allowing it to deliver a bold look to the back of the shoe. Its surface is black, so the white Nike Air text embossed onto it becomes even more striking. Its upper part can also be used as a pull tab when putting the sneaker on as it has several ridges rising from it to make it easy to hold on to. This Air Jordan 3’s crowning feature is the dynamic Fire Red Jumpman logo that has been woven through the peak of its Cement Grey tongue in a concluding flourish of colour.