There are certain sneakers that can claim to have ‘holy grail’ status, sneakers that have made a lasting impact on the culture, you know, those sneakers that changed the tridictrary of the game. Released on the 30th March 2019, a week after Air Max day the Air Jordan 3 ‘Tinker’ Special Editions are a pair of sneakers that can claim to be a hybrid of maybe two of the most important sneakers of all time. Two sneakers that changed the game forever.
The Air Jordan 3 ‘Tinker’ Special Edition are a hybrid of Air Max 1s and Air jordan 3s and If you consider the impact these sneakers have had on the culture individually you have to recognise the importance of both sneakers and the creation of a silhouette that represents them has got to be a magical thing.
When you talk about sneakers that helped shape the culture as we know it, sneakers that took innovation and style to a whole new level, not many go before the Air Max 1 and the Air Jordan 3.
The Air Jordan 3 ‘Tinker’ special editions are a celebration of two of the sneaker worlds’ heavy hitters – Air Max 1s and the Air Jordan 3s are two of my all time favourites but more importantly, sneakers that are arguably responsible for the early success which Nike needed to go on to become the global brand it is today.
To my surprise there wasn’t much hype around these sneakers in London at the time of release so it made them quite easy to cop, even months later. I couldn’t really tell you the reason in comparison to how hyped the culture has gone over some other releases that personally I didn’t think were that special. Different strokes for different folks I suppose. Not as many people as expected paid attention to them and this was a good thing in my opinion.
So what’s important about these shoes and who is Tinker Hatfield?
If you love sneakers you should know of Tinker Hatfield. No worries if not, there’s a mountain of content out there so go look him up. Fast forward to 1987 and the Air Max 1.
Tinker “The Architect’ Hatfield came from an athletic background and was originally hired by Nike as an architect to design buildings and somehow ended up designing sneakers for them. At the time, Nike had reasonable success with the Cortez and Tailwind but something was needed to ignite an average brand, as Nike was at the time.
It’s well documented that Tinker at this time took a trip to Paris and took major inspiration from the Centre George Pomidou building for what would become the Air Max 1. This controversial building is well known for placing the structural elements of the building on the outside, exposing what is conventionally hidden.
At the time in the UK, Nike wasn’t your go-to sneaker, adidas ruled the streets, they had popular culture on lock for the most part. The UK’s football culture was a key influence, with the game being the number one sport for the working classes paired with adidas, which was the number one brand for football, it was an easy transition. When you consider adidas also had support from artists in the music industry, with tracks like ‘My Adidas’ by RUN DMC. adidas had popular culture pretty much to itself, in the UK at least.
Nike was very slowly appearing on the UK streets mainly due to the influence from tennis fashion which was making its way into urban culture, a look that was kicked off with brands like Sergio Tacchini, Fila and sneakers like the adidas Stan Smith’s. Fueled by football and music, it was a three stripe Britain.
March 1987, I can remember seeing the Air Max 1 advert on TV and then holding them in my hands for the first time at Olympus Sports on Tottenham Court Road. The way they felt in my hands, the materials, the bubble, the red and white colourway, it really did feel revolutionary at the time, they had an American look and feel, but on the cooler side, a UK influence on an American concept.
Somehow they captured everything we wanted in a sneaker, In sneaker terms it felt like getting a colour tv after only ever knowing black and white, and I mean no disrespect to adidas and the other brands of the day, those are the brands that started my love of sneakers but at the time In terms of sneaker evolution, this was a major step for mankind.
This excitement was felt before you’ve even put them on, walking in Air Max 1s for the first time in 1987 felt literally like walking on air with a red carpet rolled out in front of you.
The “Air Bubble”. The first pair of sneakers to let you look into their sole, literally.
The exposed Air Cushioning unit was a master stroke from Tinker Hatfield and an instant hit on the streets, Nike was certified from then on and went on to live happily ever after. Everyone has owned a pair of Air Max 1s and their popularity has only grown from strength to strength, 34 years on and they are as popular as ever with many collaborations and different colourways over the years. This tells you all you need to know about the importance of this shoe.
As for the Air Jordan 3, it’s well documented that Michael Jordan at the time was ready to depart Nike to join another brand, following the not-so-successful releases of the Air Jordan 1 and 2. Neither received much love from the streets unlike The Nike Vandal, released in 1984, which featured in the film ‘The Terminator’ and was a much more popular shoe at the time.
The Air Jordan 3 debuted in January 1988 in “Black Cement” and “White Cement” and came along at a pivotal time for Nike and for the sneaker community. We’re all familiar with the story that Tinker Hatfield was brought on board the Air Jordan project after the success of the Air Max 1 when Michael was in the process of jumping ship to partner up with Peter Moore & Rob Strasser who had left Nike to start up a rival brand.
Tinker and Michael collaborated and the Air Jordan 3 was born. Like the Air Jordan 2, there was no swoosh, instead they featured the new Jumpman logo which would go on to dominate the sneaker world as we knew it.
Tinker listened to Michael’s request for a mid-cut and soft, supple leather shoe that gave you that worn feeling straight out the box. The elephant print and ‘a less is more’ approach, the Air Jordan 3’s were all about style and sophistication, a representation of the man himself.
The Hype around the release of the Air Jordan 3s was ridiculous at the time, you’d think it’d be standard procedure for today’s viewer, but I believe that marketing campaign would still stand out even today.
The Michael Jordan and Spike Lee adverts featuring ‘Mars Blackmon’ was something new, it captured the attention of the streets in a big way, with the Air Jordan 3 playing a character in the film ‘Do the Right Thing’ by Spike Lee this helped to ‘cement’ the Jordan brand as a whole into the psyche of street culture, taking sneakers out of the sports arenas and into popular culture. The way sneakers were made, marketed and sold would never be the same again. To the extent they had an effect on the economy and the world, if you think about the number of units sold.
Not forgetting what Michael was doing on the court at the time, wearing Air Jordan 3’s for the first at the 1988 NBA All-Star Game, then going on to win his second slam dunk title that same NBA All-Star weekend. The Impact and influence Michael Jordan and the Jordan sneaker brand had from this day transformed the game, culture and world forever.
I’m a sucker for extra laces, stickers and tabs so the various removable swooshes (in a nod to Tinker’s original design for the Air Jordan 3) and three extra pairs of laces, are like a cherry on top of the cake for me. Nike does some great things, and some not so but this sneaker is one of those really great things. A beautiful sneaker with a backstory to rival any other.
There have been many sneaker hybrids over the years with stories and significance but none in my opinion top the 2019 released Air Jordan 3 ‘Tinker’ Special editions. Forget what they look like for a minute. Think about the two sneakers they represent, the stories behind those sneakers, the innovation and style those sneakers brought to table, how these sneakers have held court over the years, and then look at how those two sneakers have been combined into one perfect silhouette. It’s hard to argue with how dope these sneakers really are.
Hybrid meets history.
By Mark Thomas – 10th July 2021
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