Jordan Brand dropped the Air Jordan 3 SE Denim Fire Red in late August 2020. Dressed in a White, Fire Red, and Black color scheme, this Air Jordan 3 features raw denim-finished elephant print on the heel, toe and eyestay as well as translucent Nike Air and Jumpman heel tabs. Also, a Japan-exclusive pair was released with Japanese branding on the translucent heel tab and CO.JP branded insoles.
The Jordan 3 Denim Fire Red was originally slated for release during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Jordan footwear designers chose Japanese denim as their inspiration. Japanese shuttle looms produce the best quality denim in the world. “Takumi” is a Japanese word that describes craftsmanship as a way of life. This means that dyeing with indigo, loom work and garment making involve a veritable ritual resulting in garments and accessories that are unique in the world.
Nike has a history of featuring denim in iconic styles and collections. In the 90s, the Nike Basketball Force collection and Andre Agassi Challenge Court both featured acid wash denim.
Inspired by 90s acid-wash denim, I developed artwork utilizing traditional graphics from the Jordan Brand library but executed in a way that was reminiscent of the 90s too. The challenge of executing the artwork for this capsule was to scale the elephant print with the denim grain so that both were evident in the artwork. Easier said than done. The devil is in the details.
