Design of the Jordan 13 Retro Wheat
Few shoes in the history of trainers are as iconic as Air Jordans, and few Jordans are as iconic as the 13, which released in 1997. Like all but two of the Air Jordan models worn on court by MJ himself, the 13 was designed by Tinker Hatfield. The AJ 13 represents a close collaboration between the designer and the athlete: Hatfield came to Jordan with an idea, but Jordan offered feedback that would shape the final result.
Jordan 13 History and Design: The Black Cat
After designing ten other iterations of the Air Jordan - one each year starting with the 3 - Hatfield needed fresh inspiration for the new model. He found that one day while he watched Michael play - suddenly, it all clicked. Jordan’s grace, power, the audacity of his offense, the way he conserved his energy only to spring at the perfect moment: he looked like a panther. Hatfield got to work right away. When he showed the design to Jordan, the story goes, Hatfield referred to his concept as the “Black Cat” and Jordan was floored – Black Cat was his nickname among his closest friends. And so, the 13 was born.
The Black Cat or panther concept was worked into nearly every aspect of the final product by the time of release. It represented not only a big step forward for the brand aesthetically, but technologically as well. The first Nike shoe ever designed on a computer, it includes a number of high-tech features such as a carbon fibre footplate, a holographic logo, and reflective mesh side panels.
Early sketches called for a strap so that Michael could easily adjust the tightness of the shoe on the fly during a game, but after trying on different prototypes, Jordan nixed the idea. He said that the shoe shouldn’t have anything on it that wasn’t necessary. He wanted simplicity and performance - the result was a streamlined, stylish trainer that was also the lightest Air Jordan Nike had ever produced.
The Jordan 13 Retro Wheat, released on November 11, 2017, features a tan colour scheme. It has a tan upper and gum rubber outsoles. The upper is made of leather with suede overlays and a suede tongue. There is a green "cat eye" hologram on the side of the collar, inspired by Michael Jordan's nickname Black Cat. The soles have a paw-like design with two different shades of tan. These Jordans also have a hidden lacing system and strategically placed herringbone pods on the outsoles. For cushioning, they depend on Zoom Air units in the heel and forefoot and full-length phylon midsoles. A carbon fibre midfoot shank provides additional support.
