Jordan Air Jordan 3 Retro OG True Blue White

The Air Jordan 3 Retro OG 'True Blue'. One of four original colourways from January 1988. At the time, Michael Jordan was seriously close to signing with adidas. Tinker Hatfield showed up with this design and changed his mind. What followed was the most important basketball shoe line ever made.

Three Things Happened for the First Time in This Shoe
(1) visible Air cushioning
(2) elephant print
(3) the Jumpman logo

The Elephant Print Has a Story
The grey elephant print overlays on the toe box and heel did not come from a design brief. Hatfield spotted a sofa in MJ's house during a visit and took the texture from there. It became the single most recognisable design element across the entire Jordan line. Bold blue leather upper, white midsole for clean contrast.

Visible Air Since '88
The AJ3 was the first Jordan to show the Air unit at the heel from the outside. That window changed sneaker design permanently. Classic outsole traction pattern in white and blue. Nearly forty years later it still works on hardwood and asphalt alike.

Fire Red for the Pop
The Jumpman on the tongue hits in Fire Red, a direct callback to the original 1988 colourways. Red branding details cut through the dominant blue and grey exactly as they should.