A short while back, an Air Jordan passport showed up at the Freshness office asking us to save the date and get ”ready to takeoff” for the official launch of the Air Jordan 2012. Early yesterday morning, Jordan Brand sent a SMS message that a driver will be picking us up for a ride to a secret location. After a 45-minute ride, we along with a grouping of select media finally arrived at a very appropriate location for this launch, a hangar in New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport. Once inside, we were “checked in” and soon after, seated in airport like seats. After showing an Air Jordan inspirational reel, designer Tom Luedecke along with his ”co-designer” (and Vice President, Special Projects and Creative Design at Nike) Tinker Hatfield were brought out to officially introduce and present the 27th shoe in the Air Jordan franchise.

While Tom Luedecke once again took the helm of designing the Air Jordan 2012, it was Tinker who drove the creative direction of the shoe. Mr Hatfield actually took inspiration from a project he worked on called Jumptown, which is an area of Portland, Oregon that was a major hub for Jazz in the 1920′s. From there he looked at the style of dress of the era, including the zoot suits with their big shoulder pads and matching bold wingtip dress shoes. On a rare but unfortunate note Tinker now sketches almost exclusively on his iPad but still he is able to translate his ideas into artwork used to drive the design of the shoes. A number of his early sketches mostly dated back to 2010 and inspired by the 1920′s Jazz style were shown during the presentation.

After the walk through of the shoes, attendants took us to the next  area in the hangar where we picked up our “luggage”, an Air Jordan x Cole Haan Weekender bag. In the bag was a pair of the Air Jordan 2012 Deluxe and gear for the wear testing part of the event. After selecting the right “flight” and a quick change, the next area was a full-length basketball court to full try out the new shoes. A pro trainer was on hand to take all the guests through a number of basketball drills favored by some of the top ballers in the NBA. Finally after the drills and a light lunch, we had one last challenge of testing out the Air Jordan 2012 on NIKEiD. And with that the official launch of the 27th franchise model ended and Jordan Brand once again impresses with a unique event to embrace Air Jordan 2012.

Considering Michael himself was a perennial 2012 NBA All-Star who had his share of memorable highlights over countless All-Star weekends during his playing career, it’s no wonder that Jordan Brand is again preparing a special All-Star pack for the latest installment of the Air Jordan franchise. The special edition Air Jordan 2012 will come in two different colorways — red for the Western Conference, navy representing the East.  Both feature a premium nubuck upper with white interior and outsole. Stay tuned for word on a release date, and in the meantime check out detailed looks for both colorways following the click.

With torrents of people heading for New York City’s downtown district to attend the NY Giants Super Bowl Champion ticker tape parade, a small legion of media and press made a detour to the unveiling of Air Jordan 2012. Aside from the much talked about design concepts and technical aspects that went into the Air Jordan 2012, the media event also debuted some of the early NIKEiD design samples of the shoe. In addition to the usual tumbled leather and patent leather options, the Air Jordan 2012 also includes suede, pebble leather, not to mention the wide range of color schemes and materials. Best of all, you need not to wait long to express your inner Picasso as NIKEiD Air Jordan 2012 iD goes online on Valentine’s Day, February 14th.

Release Date:
Air Jordan 2012 – February 25th, 2012 (Saturday)
Air Jordan 2012 iD – February 14th, 2012 (Tuesday)

Imagine a performance footwear that caters to your style of play. What was once a figment of sci-fi novels is now a reality. Introducing the Air Jordan 2012 from Jordan Brand, a case study on the progression of athletic footwear designs. A joint effort by designers Tinker Hatfield and Tom Luedecke, the Air Jordan 2012, the 27th edition to bear Air Jordan marquee, fuses the past and the future with the present. Notably retro in appearance, Hatfield and Luedecke took the influence of the 1930s, from big bands, jazz clubs, and zoot suits. Dentails like the brogue finishes, double-stitch rows, and M-shape perforations are all references to a pair of wingtip shoes. Tiny x-marks along the midsole act reminders of Michael Jordan’s “black cat” nickname. A shank-plate made of Flight Carbon, a material stronger than steel, provides stability. And thanks to the unique tread design, a cohesive pattern through out the forefoot and rear, the wearer’s weight and subsequent pressure are all evenly distributed.

But the true innovation is within the footwear itself. With two inner sleeves, one low and one high, wearer can customize the fit to how they wear their Jordans. In addition, there are three midsole options, each on the premise of “Fly Around”, “Fly Over”, and “Fly Through”. For the “Fly Around”, the most responsive option, the forefoot foam and Zoom Air heel unit let you feel the court while dashing away from your opponents. The Zoom Air forefoot and Air Sole heel on the “Fly Over” midsole allows to be like “Mike”. Finally, exert all your aggression by overpowering the other team with “Fly Through” and its full-length encapsulate air sole.

Look for the new Air Jordan 2012 at a Jordan Brand retailer near you starting on Saturday, February 25th. You can also customize your own pair via NIKEiD, where the design option will be available this coming Valentine’s Day, February 14th.

Release Date:
Air Jordan 2012 – February 25th, 2012 (Saturday)
Air Jordan 2012 iD – February 14th, 2012 (Tuesday)

For those of you who were considering it, we’re going to say it’s OK for you to ask your girlfriend or wife for a late Valentine’s present this year. Specifically, four days after Valentine’s Day. After all, it’s been roughly thirteen long years since the Air Jordan IV White/Cement were last released in stores. Looking at these official images from Jordan Brand, one can nitpick about trifling details  — the grey may be a little darker, the leather perhaps a little thinner, and the stars underneath the toe may be a little more conspicuous — or one can simply look forward to having a gorgeous new pair of Cement IVs in their lives.

Style: 308497-103
Color: White/Black-Cement Grey

Release Date: February 18th, 2012 (Saturday)

What would a highly anticipated sneaker release be without a matching T-shirt? Jordan Brand is set to release a commemorative tee in honor of the Dave White Air Jordan 1 “Wings for the Future.”  The all-black tee is adorned with a blown-up Air Jordan wings logo at the chest that appears to have been freshly brushed on with acrylic paint. It’s imperfectly applied with uneven lines and drip effects, and nicely ties in with Dave White’s paint splatter design on the special-edition kicks. Check out additional looks following the click.

Earlier this week we told you Miami’s Sole Fly had announced a February 11th release date for the special-edition Dave White-designed Air Jordan 1s. We can now confirm the official release date is in fact February 11th, though we don’t have details as to what type of release this will be. The good news: buyers have plenty of time to do a little digging to in preparation of getting their hands on these uniquely designed kicks. For those still on the fence, click through for newly unveiled official images courtesy of Jordan Brand.

Release Date: February 11th, 2012 (Saturday)

Now that Jordan Brand has unleashed what has traditionally been the most celebrated colorway of the Air Jordan X, they are ready to roll out some new looks for the retro sneaker. First up is the ‘Old Royal’ version, a palette with no real history in the Air Jordan catalog that still manages to make the sneaker look good with its brighter approach. Along with the colorful update is a slight material change, as the mudguard opts for patent leather in the same vein as the Air Jordan XI. Follow us after the jump for the full shots of the Air Jordan X ‘Old Royal’, which is due in stores next month.

Air Jordan X Retro
Style: 487214-107
Color: White/Old Royal-Stealth

Release Date: February 11th, 2012 (Saturday)

The last time these Dave White-designed Air Jordan 1s were on our radar was in August of 2011. Back then we speculated that the shoes actually had a chance of making it onto retail store shelves, unlike its predecessor, of which all twenty-three pairs in existence had been auctioned off in support of Jordan Brand‘s WINGS for the Future education initiative. Five months later, we can finally share the news that Miami’s Sole Fly has announced a release date for these highly coveted kicks: February 11th at 11 a.m. sharp, with retail set at $175. It’s first come first served so you’ll want to get there early. Stay tuned for word of a release through additional retailers.

Sole Fly
8099 South Dixie Hwy #2 | Map
Miami, FL 33143
TEL #: 305-661-3423

Release Date: February 11th, 2012 (Saturday)

While the Republican Party is still sorting out who will be his opponent in this coming November election, President Barack Obama was dropping some tunes of his own at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem last evening. It was also an opportunity for director Spike Lee to present the special Jordan Spiz’ike Presidential Pack to the leader of the free world: a pair of Jordan Spiz’ike “Bordeaux,” packaged in a rich mahogany case engraved with the presidential seal. The President was certainly all smiles at its presentation. The pack not only brought back fond memories of his days in Chicago, it also reaffirm the President’s goal to dominate the White House’s basketball court next year… For the rest of us, the Jordan Spiz’ike “Bordeaux” will be available, sans the wooden case, next month.

In anticipation of Chinese New Year and the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, Nike China played host last evening to “The Power of Dragon”, a special launch party for its Year of the Dragon Collection. With the YOTD collection – Air Force 1 Low Supreme, Air Jordan 2012, Nike Kobe VII System Supreme and Nike Zoom KD IV, as centerpieces, Nike converted event space at Shanghai 800 Creative Park into a fully fledged dragon’s lair, featuring associated graphics, lighting, even temporary flooring in the forms of dragon scales. Ushered through the lair’s gate, an evening filled with entertainment awaited guests. In a battle of might and supremacy, top streetballers from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and elsewhere compete head to head. Elsewhere along the sprawling space, there were battles among b-boy crews from across China. The evening never let up as some of the best MC and DJ from the four corners of Asia, including DJ Uppercut, Shortkut, and Tashi, performed on a singular musical theme of “The Story of the Monster”.

We’ve become accustomed to Air Jordan XI madness around the holiday season over the past couple of years, but for 2011 the fervor was spread through the calender via a couple of low versions as well. The same is in store for 2012, albeit this time with the classic patent leather look rather than the IE update, something we haven’t seen on shelves since 2001. This new colorway pairs up the pristine white upper from the likes of the ‘Columbia’ colorway with the candy red outsole of the ‘Bred’ version. Follow us after the jump to get the complete look of the Air Jordan XI Low in white/varsity red, which should be showing up sometime in May. via Marquee Sole

Air Jordan XI Low
Style: 306008-111
Color: White/Black-Varsity Red